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JEE Mathematics 2025 Question with Solution

Three defective oranges are accidentally mixed with seven good ones and on looking at them, it is not possible to differentiate between them. Two oranges are drawn at random from the lot. If xx denotes the number of defective oranges, then the variance of xx is:

  • A

    2675\frac{26}{75}

  • B

    1425\frac{14}{25}

  • C

    2875\frac{28}{75}

  • D

    1825\frac{18}{25}

Answer

Correct answer:C

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: There are 33 defective oranges and 77 good oranges. 22 oranges are drawn at random without replacement. Let xx be the number of defective oranges drawn.

Find: The variance of xx.

Using the probability distribution of xx:

P(x=0)=(72)(102)=2145=715P(x=0)=\frac{\binom{7}{2}}{\binom{10}{2}}=\frac{21}{45}=\frac{7}{15} P(x=1)=(31)(71)(102)=2145=715P(x=1)=\frac{\binom{3}{1}\binom{7}{1}}{\binom{10}{2}}=\frac{21}{45}=\frac{7}{15} P(x=2)=(32)(70)(102)=345=115P(x=2)=\frac{\binom{3}{2}\binom{7}{0}}{\binom{10}{2}}=\frac{3}{45}=\frac{1}{15}

Now compute the expectation:

E(x)=0715+1715+2115=915=35E(x)=0\cdot \frac{7}{15}+1\cdot \frac{7}{15}+2\cdot \frac{1}{15}=\frac{9}{15}=\frac{3}{5}

And,

E(x2)=02715+12715+22115=1115E(x^2)=0^2\cdot \frac{7}{15}+1^2\cdot \frac{7}{15}+2^2\cdot \frac{1}{15}=\frac{11}{15}

Therefore,

Var(x)=E(x2)[E(x)]2=1115(35)2=1115925=55752775=2875\operatorname{Var}(x)=E(x^2)-[E(x)]^2=\frac{11}{15}-\left(\frac{3}{5}\right)^2=\frac{11}{15}-\frac{9}{25}=\frac{55}{75}-\frac{27}{75}=\frac{28}{75}

Therefore, the correct option is C.

Using Hypergeometric Distribution

Given: The drawing is without replacement, so xx follows a hypergeometric distribution.

Find: The variance of the number of defective oranges drawn.

The possible values of xx are 0,1,20,1,2. Count each case by combinations:

  • For x=0x=0, both oranges are good.
  • For x=1x=1, one defective and one good are selected.
  • For x=2x=2, both oranges are defective.

Thus,

P(x=0)=(72)(102),P(x=1)=(31)(71)(102),P(x=2)=(32)(102)P(x=0)=\frac{\binom{7}{2}}{\binom{10}{2}}, \qquad P(x=1)=\frac{\binom{3}{1}\binom{7}{1}}{\binom{10}{2}}, \qquad P(x=2)=\frac{\binom{3}{2}}{\binom{10}{2}}

which gives

P(x=0)=715,P(x=1)=715,P(x=2)=115P(x=0)=\frac{7}{15}, \qquad P(x=1)=\frac{7}{15}, \qquad P(x=2)=\frac{1}{15}

Now apply the variance formula through expectations:

E(x)=xP(x)=35,E(x2)=x2P(x)=1115E(x)=\sum xP(x)=\frac{3}{5}, \qquad E(x^2)=\sum x^2P(x)=\frac{11}{15}

Hence,

Var(x)=E(x2)[E(x)]2=1115925=2875\operatorname{Var}(x)=E(x^2)-[E(x)]^2=\frac{11}{15}-\frac{9}{25}=\frac{28}{75}

So the variance is 2875\frac{28}{75}.

Common mistakes

  • Using binomial distribution instead of hypergeometric distribution. That is wrong because the oranges are drawn without replacement, so the trials are not independent. Use combination-based probabilities for hypergeometric sampling instead.

  • Calculating only E(x)E(x) and treating it as the variance. That is incorrect because variance requires E(x2)[E(x)]2E(x^2)-[E(x)]^2. First compute both expectations, then subtract properly.

  • Making an error in counting favorable cases for x=1x=1. Choosing one defective and one good must be counted as (31)(71)\binom{3}{1}\binom{7}{1}, not by unordered guesswork. Use combinations systematically.

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