[Math] Venn diagram for indepenent events

probability

In a Venn diagram, are two events represented as two disjunctive(non-intersecting) areas ?
This in turn means that for two independent events X,Y the probability of P(X|Y) = 0 since the realization of Y means that X cannot be realized anymore, right ?

Then, why do people take the approach of showing that P(X|Y) = P(X) or that P(X & Y) = P(X) * P(Y) in order to prove that X and Y are independent? Why not show that P(X|Y) = 0 ? It's more intuitive !

Best Answer

Your definition of independence, that $P(X|Y)=0$, is not the definition of independence used in probability. In fact, $P(X|Y)=0$ implies dependence, since the outcome of $Y$ influences (that is, completely inhibits) $X$.

What you're describing is mutual exclusivity.

When two outcomes are mutually exclusive, they are counted as two distinct possible outcomes of the same event. (e.g. a coin toss can be heads or tails. Heads or tails is two possible outcomes of one event: a single coin toss).

One the other hand, when we speak of two events being independent, we count these as two separate outcomes of two separate events (e.g. when tossing two coins, the outcome of either coin toss is independent of the other).