Here is a conditional probability pop quiz

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  • pico
    BARRELED IN @ SBR!
    • 04-05-07
    • 27321

    #1
    Here is a conditional probability pop quiz
    let's say you're in a isolated tropical island (with enough people living there to use probability to estimate) with 0.1% (1/1000) of catching gonorrhea. there is a gonorrhea test avaliable at the island clinic with false positive rate of 5%. people are tested at random, regardless of whether they are suspected of having gonorrhea. A patient's test is positive. What is the probability of the patient being stricken with gonorrhea?
  • DrunkenLullaby
    SBR MVP
    • 03-30-07
    • 1631

    #2
    Assuming that somebody that actually has the disease will always (100%) test positive, I get 1.9627% as the answer to your question.
    Comment
    • Ganchrow
      SBR Hall of Famer
      • 08-28-05
      • 5011

      #3
      Originally posted by DrunkenLullaby
      Assuming that somebody that actually has the disease will always (100%) test positive, I get 1.9627% as the answer to your question.
      You got it.

      This is a classic application of Bayes Theorem:

      P(gonorrhea|test positive)
      = P(test positive|gonorrhea)*P(gonorrhea) P(test positive)
      = P(test pos|gonorrhea)*P(gonorrhea) (P(test pos|gonorrhea)*P(gonorrhea) + P(test pos|no gonorrhea)*P(no gonorrhea))

      If we assume a false negative rate of 0 (not specified by the OP) then P(test positive|gonorrhea) = 1. Hence:

      = (1 * 0.1%) (1 * 0.1% + 5% * 99.9%) = 1.9627%
      Comment
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