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Two Children 1

Easy
Created: November 2, 2025

You’re talking to your colleague at work when it comes up in the conversation that he has 2 children.

“What genders are they?” you ask.
“Well, I have at least one daughter,” he replies.

What is the probability the family has two daughters?

Hint

You can assume that the probability of any child being a boy or girl to be equal and independent.

Hint

The answer is not 50%.

Solution

13\frac{1}{3}31

When you first find out that your colleague has 2 children, the possibilities made known to you are:

  1. Both children are boys
  2. The older child is a boy, and the younger child is a girl
  3. The older child is a girl, and the younger child is a boy
  4. Both children are girls

Each outcome comes at equal chance.

However, when he reveals that at least one of them is a girl, then you can eliminate the first possibility. That leaves 3 possibilities, each with equal chance. Thus, the chances of him having 2 daughters is 13\frac{1}{3}31.

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