Probability Basics

Probability Basics
• Probability is the likelihood of an event occurring, expressed as a number
between 0 and 1, where 0 means the event cannot happen and 1 means
the event will certainly happen.
• It is denoted by P (event).

Sample Space (S)

• The sample space is the set of all possible outcomes of an experiment.
• Denoted by S.

Event
• An event is any subset of the sample space.
• Denoted by E.

Probability of an Event
• Probability of an event E, P (E), is the ratio of the number of outcomes
favorable to E to the total number of outcomes in the sample space.

• Formula: P (E) = Number of favorable outcomes to E

Total number of outcomes in the sample space .

Addition Rule
• The probability of the union of two events A and B is the sum of the indi-
vidual probabilities of A and B minus the probability of their intersection.
• Formula: P (A ∪ B) = P (A) + P (B) − P (A ∩ B).

Multiplication Rule
• The probability of the intersection of two events A and B is the product of
the probability of A and the probability of B given that A has occurred.
• Formula: P (A ∩ B) = P (A) × P (B|A).

Complementary Events
• The complement of an event A, denoted by A′ , is the event that A does
not occur.
• P (A′ ) = 1 − P (A).

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Mutually Exclusive Events
• Events A and B are mutually exclusive if they cannot occur at the same
time.

• P (A ∩ B) = 0.

Independent Events
• Events A and B are independent if the occurrence of one does not affect
the occurrence of the other.
• P (A ∩ B) = P (A) × P (B).

Conditional Probability
• The probability of event A occurring given that event B has already oc-
curred.
P (A∩B)
• Formula: P (A|B) = P (B) .

Key Points to Remember

1. Sample Space: It represents all possible outcomes of an experiment.
2. Event: Any subset of the sample space.
3. Probability of an Event: The likelihood of an event occurring, expressed
as a ratio of favorable outcomes to total outcomes.
4. Addition Rule: Used to find the probability of the union of two events.
5. Multiplication Rule: Used to find the probability of the intersection of two
events.

6. Complementary Events: The complement of an event is the event that it

does not occur.
7. Mutually Exclusive Events: Events that cannot occur simultaneously.
8. Independent Events: Events where the occurrence of one does not affect
the occurrence of the other.
9. Conditional Probability: The probability of one event occurring given that
another event has already occurred.
10. Formulae: Familiarize yourself with the formulas for calculating probabil-
ities and their applications.

11. Practice: Regular practice with problems involving different scenarios will
enhance understanding and proficiency.

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12. Visual Representation: Diagrams such as Venn diagrams can help visualize
probabilities and relationships between events.
13. Real-life Applications: Probability concepts are widely used in various
fields such as statistics, gambling, risk assessment, and decision-making.

14. Understand Assumptions: Ensure you understand any assumptions made

in a given scenario, as they can affect the calculation of probabilities.
15. Interpretation: Always interpret the probability in the context of the prob-
lem and consider its practical implications.

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Important Problems on Basic Probability
1. What is the probability of rolling an even number on a fair six-sided die?
1
(a) A) 6
1
(b) B) 2
2
(c) C) 3
1
(d) D) 3

2. If a card is drawn at random from a standard deck of 52 playing cards,

what is the probability of drawing a heart?
1
(a) A) 4
1
(b) B) 13
1
(c) C) 2
13
(d) D) 52

3. Two six-sided dice are rolled. What is the probability of getting a sum of
7?
1
(a) A) 6
1
(b) B) 12
1
(c) C) 3
1
(d) D) 4

4. If a spinner is divided into 8 equal parts numbered from 1 to 8, what is

the probability of landing on a multiple of 3?
1
(a) A) 4
1
(b) B) 3
3
(c) C) 8
1
(d) D) 8

5. In a class of 30 students, 18 play football and 15 play basketball. What is

the probability that a student chosen at random plays both football and
basketball?
1
(a) A) 2
3
(b) B) 10
5
(c) C) 6
2
(d) D) 5

6. A bag contains 5 red balls and 3 green balls. What is the probability of
drawing a red ball?

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 5
(a) A) 8
3
(b) B) 5
2
(c) C) 5
5
(d) D) 3

7. If two coins are tossed simultaneously, what is the probability of getting

exactly one head?
1
(a) A) 4
1
(b) B) 2
3
(c) C) 4
2
(d) D) 3

8. A box contains 4 red, 3 blue, and 5 green balls. What is the probability
of drawing a blue ball?
3
(a) A) 12
1
(b) B) 3
3
(c) C) 10
1
(d) D) 4

9. If a number is chosen at random from the integers 1 to 20, what is the

probability of choosing a prime number?
1
(a) A) 10
1
(b) B) 4
1
(c) C) 2
3
(d) D) 5

10. A card is drawn at random from a standard deck of 52 playing cards.

What is the probability of drawing a face card (jack, queen, or king)?
1
(a) A) 4
3
(b) B) 13
1
(c) C) 2
3
(d) D) 4

11. If a fair coin is tossed twice, what is the probability of getting two tails?
1
(a) A) 4
1
(b) B) 2
1
(c) C) 3
1
(d) D) 8

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12. If a number is chosen at random from the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, what is the
probability of choosing a multiple of 3?
1
(a) A) 5
1
(b) B) 3
2
(c) C) 5
2
(d) D) 3

13. A standard deck of 52 playing cards contains 4 suits. What is the proba-
bility of drawing a spade or a club?
1
(a) A) 4
1
(b) B) 2
3
(c) C) 4
1
(d) D) 3

14. In a group of 50 people, 25 are males and 20 are females. What is the
probability that a randomly chosen person is a male?
1
(a) A) 2
1
(b) B) 5
1
(c) C) 4
1
(d) D) 10

15. If a number is chosen at random from the integers 1 to 10, what is the
probability of choosing an odd number?
1
(a) A) 5
1
(b) B) 2
2
(c) C) 5
1
(d) D) 4

16. A bag contains 3 red balls, 2 green balls, and 4 blue balls. What is the
probability of drawing a red or a green ball?
5
(a) A) 9
1
(b) B) 3
3
(c) C) 9
3
(d) D) 4

17. If two dice are rolled simultaneously, what is the probability of getting a
sum greater than 9?
1
(a) A) 6
1
(b) B) 3

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(c) C) 4
1
(d) D) 2

18. A box contains 5 black balls and 3 white balls. What is the probability of
drawing a black ball?
5
(a) A) 8
3
(b) B) 5
2
(c) C) 5
5
(d) D) 3

19. If a letter is chosen at random from the word ”PROBABILITY”, what is

the probability of choosing a vowel?
2
(a) A) 11
3
(b) B) 11
4
(c) C) 11
5
(d) D) 11

20. A fair die is rolled once. What is the probability of rolling a number less
than 5?
1
(a) A) 2
2
(b) B) 3
3
(c) C) 4
4
(d) D) 6

21. If a card is drawn at random from a standard deck of 52 playing cards,

what is the probability of drawing a red card?
1
(a) A) 2
1
(b) B) 4
1
(c) C) 3
1
(d) D) 5

22. A bag contains 6 blue marbles and 4 red marbles. What is the probability
of drawing a blue marble?
3
(a) A) 10
4
(b) B) 10
6
(c) C) 10
6
(d) D) 4

23. If two coins are tossed simultaneously, what is the probability of getting
at least one head?

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(a) A) 4
1
(b) B) 2
3
(c) C) 4
3
(d) D) 8

24. A standard deck of 52 playing cards contains 4 suits. What is the proba-
bility of drawing a heart or a diamond?
1
(a) A) 2
3
(b) B) 4
1
(c) C) 4
2
(d) D) 3

25. In a group of 60 students, 30 play cricket and 25 play football. What is

the probability that a randomly chosen student plays neither cricket nor
football?
1
(a) A) 4
1
(b) B) 5
1
(c) C) 3
2
(d) D) 5

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Conceptual Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. What does the sample space represent in probability theory?
(a) A) The set of favorable outcomes
(b) B) The set of all possible outcomes
(c) C) The probability of an event occurring
(d) D) The complement of an event
2. Two events A and B are said to be mutually exclusive if:
(a) A) They are independent events
(b) B) They have common outcomes
(c) C) They cannot occur at the same time
(d) D) Their probabilities are equal
3. What does it mean if two events A and B are independent?

(a) A) The occurrence of event A affects the occurrence of event B

(b) B) The occurrence of event B affects the occurrence of event A
(c) C) The occurrence of one event does not affect the occurrence of the
other
(d) D) The occurrence of one event guarantees the occurrence of the
other
4. If the probability of event A is 0.6 and the probability of event B is 0.4,
what is the maximum possible value for the probability of their intersec-
tion, P (A ∩ B)?
(a) A) 1.0
(b) B) 0.6
(c) C) 0.4
(d) D) 0.24
5. If P (A) = 0.3 and P (B|A) = 0.4, what is the probability of event B
occurring given that event A has occurred?
(a) A) 0.12
(b) B) 0.4
(c) C) 0.3
(d) D) 0.7

6. What is the probability of drawing a black card from a standard deck of

52 playing cards?

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 1
(a) A) 2
1
(b) B) 4
1
(c) C) 3
1
(d) D) 13

7. In a group of 40 students, 25 study mathematics and 20 study physics. If

15 students study both subjects, what is the probability that a randomly
chosen student studies either mathematics or physics?
(a) A) 0.5
(b) B) 0.625
(c) C) 0.75
(d) D) 0.875
8. If two fair dice are rolled, what is the probability of getting a sum of 9?
1
(a) A) 6
1
(b) B) 9
1
(c) C) 12
1
(d) D) 36

9. A jar contains 10 red balls and 5 green balls. If a ball is drawn at random,
what is the probability of drawing a green ball?
1
(a) A) 2
1
(b) B) 3
1
(c) C) 4
1
(d) D) 5

10. If the probability of rain on a given day is 0.3, what is the probability of
no rain on that day?
(a) A) 0.3
(b) B) 0.5
(c) C) 0.7
(d) D) 0.8

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 Answers to the Conceptual Multiple-Choice Questions:

1. B) The set of all possible outcomes

2. C) They cannot occur at the same time
3. C) The occurrence of one event does not affect the occurrence of the other

4. B) 0.6
5. B) 0.4
1
6. A) 2

7. B) 0.625
1
8. D) 36
1
9. B) 3

10. C) 0.7

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 Answers to the Multiple-Choice Questions on Basic Probability:
1
1. B) 2
13
2. D) 52
1
3. A) 6
3
4. C) 8
3
5. B) 10
5
6. A) 8
1
7. B) 2
3
8. B) 12
1
9. B) 4
3
10. D) 4
1
11. A) 4
1
12. B) 3
1
13. B) 2
1
14. A) 2
1
15. B) 2
5
16. A) 9
1
17. B) 3
5
18. A) 8
4
19. C) 11
3
20. C) 4
1
21. A) 2
6
22. C) 10
3
23. C) 4
3
24. B) 4
1
25. B) 5

by Mohd Faizan Alam

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