SOLUTION: Please help me solve this question: Consider a shopper will choose either brand A or brand B. On each purchase, the probability that he will choose the same brand that he chose on

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Question 1186850: Please help me solve this question: Consider a shopper will choose either brand A or brand B. On each purchase, the probability that he will choose the same brand that he chose on his last preceding purchase is 1/3, and the probability that he will switch brands is 2/3. Suppose that on his first purchase the probability that he will choose brand A is 1/4 and the probability that he will choose brand B is 3/4. What is the probability that his second purchase will be brand B?
Answer by ikleyn(52803) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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Please help me solve this question:
Consider a shopper will choose either brand A or brand B.
On each purchase, the probability that he will choose the same brand that he chose on his last preceding purchase is 1/3,
and the probability that he will switch brands is 2/3.
Suppose that on his first purchase the probability that he will choose brand A is 1/4
and the probability that he will choose brand B is 3/4.
What is the probability that his second purchase will be brand B?
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The key step is to understand and to write this logical expression


    P(second purchase is brand B) = P(1st purchase is brand A)*P(for 2-nd purchase switch from A to B) + 

                                  + P(1-st purchase is brand B)*P(for 2-nd purchase choose B again).



As soon as you understand it, you substitute the given values into the expression and calculate


    P(second purchase is brand B) = %281%2F4%29%2A%282%2F3%29 + %283%2F4%29%2A%281%2F3%29 = 1%2F6 + 1%2F4 = 2%2F12+%2B+3%2F12 = 5%2F12.    ANSWER

Solved and explained.