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Probability: Interactive Math Goodies Software

The document discusses probability and provides examples of experiments with different outcomes and their probabilities. It defines key probability terms like experiment, outcome, event, and probability. It gives examples of experiments with equally and unequally likely outcomes, like spinning a spinner with equal sections versus picking marbles from a jar with different colors in various quantities. It explains how to calculate probability as the number of ways an event can occur divided by the total number of possible outcomes.

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xirrienann
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77 views7 pages

Probability: Interactive Math Goodies Software

The document discusses probability and provides examples of experiments with different outcomes and their probabilities. It defines key probability terms like experiment, outcome, event, and probability. It gives examples of experiments with equally and unequally likely outcomes, like spinning a spinner with equal sections versus picking marbles from a jar with different colors in various quantities. It explains how to calculate probability as the number of ways an event can occur divided by the total number of possible outcomes.

Uploaded by

xirrienann
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Interactive Math Goodies Software

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Probability
Problem: A spinner has 4 equal sectors colored
yellow, blue, green and red. What are the
chances of landing on blue after spinning
the spinner? What are the chances of
landing on red?
Solution:

The chances of landing on blue are 1 in 4, or one fourth.


The chances of landing on red are 1 in 4, or one fourth.

This problem asked us to find some probabilities involving a spinner. Let's look at some
definitions and examples from the problem above.

Definition

Example

An experiment is a situation involving chance or


probability that leads to results called outcomes.

In the problem above, the


experiment is spinning the spinner.

An outcome is the result of a single trial of an


experiment.

The possible outcomes are landing


on yellow, blue, green or red.

An event is one or more outcomes of an experiment. One event of this experiment is


landing on blue.
Probability is the measure of how likely an event is. The probability of landing on blue

is one fourth.
In order to measure probabilities, mathematicians have devised the following formula for
finding the probability of an event.

Probability Of An Event
P(A) =

The Number Of Ways Event A Can Occur


The total number Of Possible Outcomes

The probability of event A is the number of ways event A can occur divided by the
total number of possible outcomes. Let's take a look at a slight modification of the
problem from the top of the page.
Experiment 1:

A spinner has 4 equal sectors colored yellow, blue,


green and red. After spinning the spinner, what is the
probability of landing on each color?

Outcomes:

The possible outcomes of this experiment are yellow,


blue, green, and red.

Probabilities:

Experiment 2:

P(yellow)

# of ways to land on yellow


total # of colors

1
4

P(blue)

# of ways to land on blue


total # of colors

1
4

P(green)

# of ways to land on green


total # of colors

1
4

P(red)

# of ways to land on red


total # of colors

1
4

A single 6-sided die is rolled. What


is the probability of each outcome?
What is the probability of rolling
an even number? of rolling an odd
number?

Outcomes: The possible outcomes of this experiment are 1, 2, 3, 4,


5 and 6.
Probabilities:

P(1)

# of ways to roll a 1
total # of sides

1
6

P(2)

# of ways to roll a 2
total # of sides

1
6

P(3)

# of ways to roll a 3
total # of sides

1
6

P(4)

# of ways to roll a 4
total # of sides

1
6

P(5)

# of ways to roll a 5
total # of sides

1
6

P(6)

# of ways to roll a 6
total # of sides

1
6

P(even)

# ways to roll an even number


total # of sides

3
1
=
6
2

P(odd)

# ways to roll an odd number


total # of sides

3
1
=
6
2

Experiment 2 illustrates the difference between an outcome and an event. A single


outcome of this experiment is rolling a 1, or rolling a 2, or rolling a 3, etc. Rolling an
even number (2, 4 or 6) is an event, and rolling an odd number (1, 3 or 5) is also an
event.
In Experiment 1 the probability of each outcome is always the same. The probability
of landing on each color of the spinner is always one fourth. In Experiment 2, the
probability of rolling each number on the die is always one sixth. In both of these
experiments, the outcomes are equally likely to occur. Let's look at an experiment in
which the outcomes are not equally likely.
Experiment
3:

A glass jar contains 6 red, 5 green, 8 blue and 3


yellow marbles. If a single marble is chosen at
random from the jar, what is the probability of
choosing a red marble? a green marble? a blue
marble? a yellow marble?

Outcomes:

The possible outcomes of this experiment are


red, green, blue and yellow.

Probabilities:

P(red)

# of ways to choose red


total # of marbles

6
3
=
22 11

P(green) =

# of ways to choose green


5
=
total # of marbles
22

P(blue)

# of ways to choose blue


total # of marbles

P(yellow) =

8
4
=
22 11

# of ways to choose yellow


3
=
total # of marbles
22

The outcomes in this experiment are not equally likely to occur. You are more likely
to choose a blue marble than any other color. You are least likely to choose a yellow
marble.

Experiment
4:

Choose a number at random from 1 to 5. What is the probability of


each outcome? What is the probability that the number chosen is
even? What is the probability that the number chosen is odd?

Outcomes:

The possible outcomes of this experiment are 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Probabilities:

P(1)

# of ways to choose a 1
total # of numbers

1
5

P(2)

# of ways to choose a 2
total # of numbers

1
5

P(3)

# of ways to choose a 3
total # of numbers

1
5

P(4)

# of ways to choose a 4
total # of numbers

1
5

P(5)

# of ways to choose a 5
total # of numbers

1
5

P(even)

# of ways to choose an even number


total # of numbers

2
5

P(odd)

# of ways to choose an odd number


total # of numbers

3
5

The outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are equally likely to occur as a result of this experiment.
However, the events even and odd are not equally likely to occur, since there are 3
odd numbers and only 2 even numbers from 1 to 5.

Summary:

The probability of an event is the measure of the chance that the event
will occur as a result of an experiment. The probability of an event A is
the number of ways event A can occur divided by the total number of
possible outcomes. The probability of an event A, symbolized by P(A),
is a number between 0 and 1, inclusive, that measures the likelihood of
an event in the following way:

If P(A) > P(B) then event A is more likely to occur than event B.

If P(A) = P(B) then events A and B are equally likely to occur.

Exercises
Directions: Read each question below. Select your answer by clicking on its button.
Feedback to your answer is provided in the RESULTS BOX. If you make a mistake,
choose a different button.
1. Which of the following is an experiment?
Tossing a coin.
Rolling a single 6-sided die.
Choosing a marble from a jar.
All of the above.
RESULTS BOX:

2. Which of the following is an outcome?


Rolling a pair of dice.
Landing on red.

Choosing 2 marbles from a jar.


None of the above.
RESULTS BOX:

3. Which of the following experiments does NOT have


equally likely outcomes?
Choose a number at random from 1 to 7.
Toss a coin.
Choose a letter at random from the word SCHOOL.
None of the above.
RESULTS BOX:

4. What is the probability of choosing a vowel from the


alphabet?

None of the above.


RESULTS BOX:

5. A number from 1 to 11 is chosen at random. What is


the probability of choosing an odd number?

None of the above.


RESULTS BOX:

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