document.write( "Question 1044559: A family has a child, what is the probability that:
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document.write( "a. the child is a boy?
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document.write( "b. the child is a girl? \n" );
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Algebra.Com's Answer #659878 by Edwin McCravy(20060)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! \r\n" ); document.write( "I am quite sure your teacher is expecting\r\n" ); document.write( "you to give 1/2, 0.5, or 50% for both answers.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "However, from this website:\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-a-pregnant-womans-chan/\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "Marc Weisskopf, a research associate at the Harvard School\r\n" ); document.write( "of Public Health, says:\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "In most industrialized countries about 105 boys are born \r\n" ); document.write( "for every 100 girls, for a ratio of 1.05, known as the \r\n" ); document.write( "secondary sex ratio, or SSR; the primary sex ratio is the \r\n" ); document.write( "ratio at conception. This is often expressed as the \r\n" ); document.write( "percentage of boys among all births, or about 51.2 percent. \r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "So even though your teacher is expecting answers\r\n" ); document.write( "1/2, 0.5, or 50% for each,\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "If Weisskopf is right, the answer to (a) should be \r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "(a) 64/125 or 0.512 or 51.2% \r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "and the answer to (b) should be\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "(b) 61/125 or 0.488 or 48.8% \r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "Edwin\n" ); document.write( " |