In probability, independent events do not affect each other's outcome, like two separate coin tosses. Mutually exclusive events cannot happen together, like getting both heads and tails on one coin. You subtract P(A and B) when events are *not* mutually exclusive, to avoid double-counting the overlap. I explain this to my students using the example of a student being good at cricket *and* studies—they are not exclusive, much like life's duties often overlap. My own son, studying abroad, balances job and exams; they are independent but sometimes compete for his time, so you must account for both.
#olympics#ioc
Jump in to reply — no account needed.