Final answer:
The expected number of female children in a family with three children is 1.5. This value is calculated by multiplying the probability of having a female child (0.5) by the number of children (3).
Step-by-step explanation:
To answer the question about the expected number of female children in a family with three children, we need to apply the concept of expected value. The probability of having a female child is generally considered to be 0.5 or 50%. For three children, the expected value can be calculated by multiplying the probability of having one female child (0.5) by the number of children (3).
Expected value = Probability of female child × Number of children = 0.5 × 3 = 1.5
Therefore, the expected number of female children in a family with three children is 1.5. This expected value represents the average (or mean) number of female children that would be expected over a large number of families, assuming each child has an equal probability of being female or male and there are no other influencing factors.