Select Sibling Pairs

This topic has expert replies
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:02 am
Thanked: 4 times
Followed by:3 members

Select Sibling Pairs

by gmatNooB8787 » Thu May 03, 2012 2:19 pm
Which is the best way to solve the below problem.

In a room filled with 7 people, 4 people have exactly 1 sibling in the room and 3 people have exactly 2 siblings in the room. If two individuals are selected from the room at random, what is the probability that those two individuals are NOT siblings?

Ans: 5/21, 3/7 ,4/7 ,5/7 ,16/21.

Solution 1: We are told that 4 people have exactly 1 sibling. This would account for 2 sibling relationships (e.g. AB and CD). We are also told that 3 people have exactly 2 siblings. This would account for another 3 sibling relationships (e.g. EF, EG, and FG). Thus, there are 5 total sibling relationships in the group.

Additionally, there are (7 x 6)/2 = 21 different ways to chose two people from the room.

Therefore, the probability that any 2 individuals in the group are siblings is 5/21. The probability that any 2 individuals in the group are NOT siblings = 1 - 5/21 = 16/21.


However , i found this technique is kind of specific to each problem and it is difficult to calculate individual strategy to each probability problem when u have like 1 or 2 mins.
My general strategy is always to take individual probability like i would go about the following way to calculate 2 siblings


4/7 * 1/6 + 3/7 * 2/6 = 5/21.

But even the second methods needs an exhaustive probability count for each and every scenario, and i tend to skip some scenarios resulting in wrong answers.

Is there a better approach to handle such probability problems ??
Source: — Problem Solving |

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Thu May 03, 2012 4:04 pm
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3