What is the probability that each box will contain one ball if two indistinguishable balls are randomly put in one of two distinguishable boxes?
To me there seems to be 2 possible ways to reach an answer:
First Method: Each ball has a 1/2 chance of going into each box. So there is a 1/4 chance that both balls are assigned to Box #1, a 1/4 chance that both balls are assigned to Box #2, and a 2/4 or 1/2 chance that one ball is assigned to Box #1 and the other is assigned to Box #2. We arrive at an answer of 1/2 using this method.
Second Method: There are 3 total ways to distribute the balls to the boxes. For the boxes we can have
(2 balls , 0 balls), (0 balls , 2 balls) or (1 ball, 1 ball). Out of the 3 possibilities, 1 of them is favorable so using this method, we get an answer of 1/3.
Which approach is correct? Thanks!
+166 For the second method, you (correct me if I'm wrong) overlooked the fact that the probability of each of the possibilities may not be the same.
+118673 Rainbow squirrel you are spot on. Great answer.
The easiest way to look at this is that you pick up a ball and put it in any box.
probabiliy will be 1 since there will be a ball in a box and it does not matter which box.
How you have a second ball and a choice of 2 places on where to put it.
Prob that it goes into the empty box is 1/2
1 * 1/2 = 1/2
