Calculate conditional probabilities for coin tosses

Quick Overview

This question evaluates understanding of conditional probability and independence in simple probabilistic experiments. It belongs to the Statistics & Math domain, is commonly asked to assess foundational probabilistic reasoning used in statistical inference and algorithmic decision-making, and targets conceptual understanding with elementary practical computation.

Calculate conditional probabilities for coin tosses

Company: StackAdapt

Role: Software Engineer

Category: Statistics & Math

Difficulty: easy

Interview Round: HR Screen

Consider two independent tosses of a fair coin. (a) What is the probability that the second toss is Heads given that the first toss was Tails, P(second=H | first=T)? (b) Given that at least one of the two tosses is Heads, what is the probability that both tosses are Heads, P(both=HH | at least one H)? Explain using an explicit sample space or conditional probability formulas.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates understanding of conditional probability and independence in simple probabilistic experiments. It belongs to the Statistics & Math domain, is commonly asked to assess foundational probabilistic reasoning used in statistical inference and algorithmic decision-making, and targets conceptual understanding with elementary practical computation.

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Sep 6, 2025, 12:00 AM
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Probability with Two Fair Coin Tosses

You toss a fair coin twice. Let the coin be fair (P(H) = P(T) = 1/2) and the tosses independent.

(a) Compute P(second = H | first = T).

(b) Given that at least one of the two tosses is Heads, compute P(both = HH | at least one H). Use an explicit sample space or conditional probability formulas, and explain your reasoning.

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