A culture contains two bacterial populations 'X' and 'Y' in equal proportion. On dilution plating only two colonies were obtained due to excessive…
A culture contains two bacterial populations 'X' and 'Y' in equal proportion. On dilution plating only two colonies were obtained due to excessive dilution. The probability that one will be X and other will be Y is:
Select an option to attempt
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
Dilution plating and probability of obtaining one X and one Y colony:The culture contains equal proportions X and Y, so.With only 2 colonies obtained, the probability of getting exactly 1 X and 1 Y:This is a binomial probability with,(one success out of two trials):The factor of 2 accounts for the two arrangements: XY or YX.Answer: 50% (Option 3).