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| Question 1203550:  In a recent survey, a statistician reported the following data.
 13 persons liked brand A.
 20 persons liked brand B.
 13 persons liked brand C.
 9 persons liked brands A and B.
 4 persons liked brands A and C.
 8 persons liked brands B and C.
 2 persons liked all three brands.
 3 persons liked none of the three brands.
 A truthful statistician was asked to find out how many people were interviewed. What was this statistician's answer?
 Found 2 solutions by  ikleyn, greenestamps:
 Answer by ikleyn(52879)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! . In a recent survey, a statistician reported the following data.
 13 persons liked brand A.
 20 persons liked brand B.
 13 persons liked brand C.
 9 persons liked brands A and B.
 4 persons liked brands A and C.
 8 persons liked brands B and C.
 2 persons liked all three brands.
 3 persons liked none of the three brands.
 A truthful statistician was asked to find out how many people were interviewed. What was this statistician's answer?
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For all such and similar problems, there is a common/general method of their solutions.
This method is called "Inclusion-Exclusion Principle".
It says that if there is given info about the sizes of 3 finite subsets A, B and C of a universal set U,
and there is given info about the sizes of their in-pairs intersections AB, AC and BC,
and there is given info about the size of their triple intersection ABC,
then the number of elements in the union (A U B U C) is the alternate sum
    n(A U B U C) = n(A) + n(B) + n(C) - n(AB) - n(AC) - n(BC) + n(ABC).
In your case it gives for the union  
    n(A U B U C) = 13 + 20 + 13 - 9 - 4 - 8 + 2 = 27.
To get the ANSWER to the problem's question, 
you need add 3 persons that are outside of the union (A U B U C)
    27 + 3 = 30.
ANSWER.  30 people were interviewed.
Solved.
 
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 As a reference to the Inclusion-Exclusion principle, see this Wikipedia article
 
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclusion%E2%80%93exclusion_principle
 
 
 
Answer by greenestamps(13209)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! 
 for tutor @ikleyn....
 
 You are missing one close parenthesis in your statement of the general principle that might cause confusion to beginning students....
 
 
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