DATA Sufficiency Probability

This topic has expert replies
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 91
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2009 9:53 pm
Thanked: 11 times

DATA Sufficiency Probability

by Robinmrtha » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:44 pm
A critical meeting on the subprime crisis has been scheduled. A group of investment bankers, whose mean age is 59, must attend. Each banker must flip a coin to choose whether to wear either a pinstripe suit or a solid suit. How many executive are attending the meeting?

1) The sum of their ages is a multiple of 3

2) The probability of all of the bankers wearing a solid suit is less than 1/3 and greater than 1/24

The answer is C how?
Source: — Data Sufficiency |

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:48 pm
Thanked: 4 times

by Claret » Sun Jun 07, 2009 6:06 pm
statement 1 : Insufficient
this implies the no. of executives attending the meeting is a multiple of 3 i.e it cud be 3, 6, 9....

statement 2 : Insufficient

probability of an executive to wear a solid suit is 1/2
therefore probability of n executives to wear a solid suit = (1/2)^n
1/24<(1/2)^n<1/3

Statement 1 & 2 give
n = 3

therefore ANS C

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:59 pm

by shashank.mehra » Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:33 pm
Claret wrote:statement 1 : Insufficient
this implies the no. of executives attending the meeting is a multiple of 3 i.e it cud be 3, 6, 9....

statement 2 : Insufficient

probability of an executive to wear a solid suit is 1/2
therefore probability of n executives to wear a solid suit = (1/2)^n
1/24<(1/2)^n<1/3

Statement 1 & 2 give
n = 3

therefore ANS C
Pl elaborate on how can you deduce from Statement 1 that the number of Exec attending the conf is a multiple of three... even if four guys are attending the sum of their ages can be a multiple of 3.

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:48 pm
Thanked: 4 times

by Claret » Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:45 pm
ok..

it is given in the question stem that the mean of the ages of the executives is 59
sum of ages = no. of executives * mean age of the executives
from statement 1 :
sum of ages =(multiple of 3) *59
therefore we can conclude that the sum of the ages is a multiple of 3..

hope it helps..

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:59 pm

by shashank.mehra » Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:52 am
thanx man