Probability

 Probability: is the likelihood that an

event will occur.
 Probability can be written as a fraction or
decimal.

_______________
_______________
____________
___
 Probability is always between 0 and 1.
 Probability = 0 means that the event will
NEVER happen.
 Example: The probability that the Bills will win the
Super Bowl this year.

 Probability = 1 means the event will

ALWAYS happen.
 Example: The probability that Christmas will be on
December 25th next year.
 Event: A set of one or more outcomes
 Example: Getting a heads when you toss the coin is
the event
 Compliment of an Event: The outcomes
that are not the event
 Example: Probability of rolling a 4 = 1/6. Not rolling
a 4 = 5/6.
 Experiment: an activity involving chance, such as
rolling a cube
 Tossing a coin is the experiment
 Trial: Each repetition or observation of an
experiment
 Each time you toss the coin is a trial
 Outcome: A possible result of an event.
 Example: An outcome for flipping a coin is H
 Example: The list of all the outcomes for flipping
a coin is {H, T}

 Sample space: A list of all the possible

outcomes.
 Example: The sample space for spinning the
spinner below is:
{B, B, B, R, R, R, R, R, Y, G, G, G}.
 Calculating OR Probabilities: by adding the
probabilities.
 Example: P (Red or Green) in the spinner
5 3 8 2
  
12 12 12 3
 Example: When rolling a die: P(3 or 4)
1 1 2 1
  
6 6 6 3
 Uniform Probability: an event where all the
outcomes are equally likely.
 Which spinners have uniform probability?
 Calculating Probabilities
1. Rolling a 0 on a number cube 0
2 1
2. Rolling a number less than 3 on a number
(2or1cube
) 
6 3

3. Rolling an even number on a number cube 3 1

(2,4, or 6) 
6 2
4. Rolling a number greater than 2 on a(3,number 4 2
4,5, or 6) 
cube 6 3

5. Rolling a number less than 7 on a number cube 6

(1,2,3,4,5, or 6)  1
6
6. Spinning red or green on a spinner that 1 has
1 24 1
  
sections (1 red, 1green, 1 blue, 1 yellow)
4 4 4 2
 Calculating Probabilities Contd
7. Drawing a black marble or a red marble from a
bag that contains 4 white, 3 black, and 2 red
marbles. 3 2 5
 
9 9 9

8. Choosing either a number less than 3 or a

number greater than 12 from a set of cards
numbered 1 – 20. 2 8 10 1
  
20 20 20 2
Independent Practice
 Write impossible, unlikely, equally likely, likely, or certain
 impossible
It is _____________ to draw a striped pebble from the bag.

 equally _ likely
Drawing a white pebble from the bag is _________________.

 unlikely
Drawing a spotted pebble from the bag is _______________.

 certain
If you reach into the bag, it is ___________that you will
draw a pebble.
likely
 You are _________ to draw a pebble that is not black from
the bag.
 What is the probability of not picking a black pebble from the
bag above? 2 1

12 6
 What is the probability of picking a spotted pebble from the
bag? 4 1

12 3
 Independent Practice
Using a standard Deck of Cards, calculate the
following probabilities
 P(red) 26  1
52 2
1
 P(7 of hearts)
52

 **P(7 or a heart)
4 13 1 16 4
   
52 52 52 52 13
 P(7 or 8) 8

2
52 13
 P(a black heart) 0
52
 P(face card) 12 3

52 13
 Experimental vs
Theoretical Probability
 Theoretical Probability: the probability of
what should happen. It’s based on a rule:
 Example: Rolling a dice and getting a 3 = 1
6

 Experimental Probability: is based on an

experiment; what actually happened.
 Example: Alexis rolls a strike in 4 out of 10 games.
The experimental probability that she will roll a strike
in the first frame of the next game is: 4 2

10 5
Theoretical vs Experimental Probability
Experimental Theoretical
 Fill in table:  Fill in Table:
Block Color Frequency Block Color Frequency
Red Red
Blue Blue
Yellow Yellow

 What is the experimental  What is the theoretical

probability of getting a red? probability of getting a red?
 What is the experimental  What is the theoretical
probability of getting a blue? probability of getting blue?
 What is the experimental  What is the theoretical
probability of getting a yellow? probability of getting a yellow?
Theoretical and experimental probability of an
event may or may not be the same.

The more trials you perform, the closer you will

get to the theoretical probability.
Try the Following
 Calculate and state whether they are experimental
or theoretical probabilities.

1. During football practice, Sam made 12 out of 15

field goals. What is the probability he will make
the field goal on the next attempt?
Experimental 12
15
2. Andy has 10 marbles in a bag. 6 are white and 4
are blue. Find the probability as a fraction,
decimal, and percent of each of the following:
 P(blue marble) b. P(white marble)
4 2 6 3 0.6  60%

10 5
0.4  40% Theoretical 
10 5
3. If there are 12 boys and 13 girls in a class, what
is the probability that a girl will be picked to write
on the board?
13
Theoretical 25

4. Ms. Beauchamp’s student have taken out 85

books from the library. 35 of them were fiction.
What is the probability that the next book
checked out will be a fiction book?
35 7
Experimental 
85 17
5. What is the probability of getting a tail when
flipping a coin?
1
Theoretical 2

6. Emma made 9 out of 15 foul shots during the first

3 quarters of her basketball game. What is the
probability that the next time she takes a foul
shot she will make it?
9
Experimental
15
7. What is the probability of rolling a 4 on a die?
1
Theoretical
6

8. There are 8 black chips in a bag of 30 chips.

What is the probability of picking a black chip
from the bag?
8 4
Theoretical 
30 15
9. Christina scored an A on 7 out of 10 tests. What
is the probability she will score an A on her next
test?
7
Experimental 10

10. There are 2 small, 5 medium, and 3 large dogs in

a yard. What is the probability that the first dog
to come in the door is small?
2 1
Theoretical 
10 5
Predicting Probabilities
part % part part
 
whole 100 whole whole
 Making Predictions: Remember for
predications we use proportions.
1. A potato chip factory rejected 2 out of 9 potatoes in an
experiment. If there is a batch of 1200 potatoes going
through the machine, how many potatoes are likely to
be rejected? 2 x
 267 potatoes
9 1200

2. Based on Colin’s baseball statistics, the probability that

he will pitch a curveball is 1/4. If Colin throws 20
pitches, how many pitches most likely will be curveballs?
1 x

4 20
5 curveballs
3. If John flips a coin 210 times about how many time
should he expect the coin to land on heads?
1 x

2 210
105 times

4. If the historical probability that it will rain in a two

month period is 15%, how many days out of 60 could
you expect it to rain?
15

x 9 days
100 60

5. If 3 out of every 15 memory cards are defective, how

many could you expect to be defective if 1700 were
produced in one day?
3 x
 340 memory cards
15 1700
Compound Events
 A Compound Event: is an event that consists of
two or more simple events.
 Example: Rolling a die and tossing a coin.
 To find the sample space of compound events
we use organized lists (tables) and tree diagrams.
 Example: A car can be purchased in blue, silver, red, or purple. It
also comes as a convertible or hardtop. Use a table AND a tree
diagram to find the sample space for the different styles in which
the car can be purchased.
 The Fundamental Counting Principle (FCP):
a way to find all the possible outcomes of an
event.
**Just multiply the number of ways each event
can occur.
 Example: The counting principle for the car

purchase problem above:

4x2=8 8 possible outcomes
 ‘And’ Events: This means to multiply the
events.
 Example: When flipping a coin and rolling a die:
 P (heads and 1)
1 1 1
* 
2 6 12

 P(T and odd)

1 1 1
* 
2 2 4
Examples
1. Suppose you toss a quarter, a dime, and a nickel. What
is the probability of getting three tails?
 Make a tree diagram to show the sample space:

 Use the FCP to check the total number of outcomes:

2 x 2 x 2= 8 8 possible outcomes
2. A coin is tossed twice. What is the probability that you
land on heads at least once?
 Make a tree diagram to show the sample space

P (at least one H) = ¾

3. Find the probabilities of each of the following if you
were to draw two cards from a 52-card deck, replacing
the cards after you pick them.

 P(Jack and 2)  P(Jack and 14)

4 4 16 1 4
*   *0  0
52 52 2704 169 52

 P(Ace or 5)  P(King or 12)

4 4 8 2 4 4 1
   0 
52 52 52 13 52 52 13

 P(King of hearts and red 2)  P(red Queen or 5)

2 4 6 3
1 2 2 1   
*   52 52 52 26
52 52 2704 1352
4. List the sample space for rolling two six-sided dice and
their sums. Then calculate the following probabilities:

2 3 4 5 6 7
3 4 5 6 7 8
4 5 6 7 8 9
5 6 7 8 9 10
6 7 8 9 10 11
7 8 9 10 11 12
 P(3 or 4)  P(1 and 6)
2 3 5 2 1
  
36 36 36 36 18
 P(at least one odd)  P(sum of 5)
27 3 4 1
 
36 4 36 9
 P(doubles)  P(sum of at most 4)
27 3 6 1
 
36 4 36 6
5. Peter has 6 sweatshirts, 4 pairs of jeans, and 3 pairs of
shoes. How many different outfits can Peter make using
one sweatshirt, one pair of jeans, and one pair of shoes?
A) 13 B) 36 C) 72 D) 144

6. For the lunch special at Nick’s Deli, customers can create

their own sandwich by selecting one type of bread and
one type of meat from the selection below.
 In the space below, list all the possible sandwich combinations using 1
type of bread and 1 type of meat.

WC RC
WRb RRb
 If Nick decides to add whole wheat bread as another option, how
many possible sandwich combinations will there be?
6
 Independent &
Dependent Events
 Suppose you have a bag of with 4 red, 5 blue & 9
yellow marbles in it.
From the first bag, you reach in and make a selection. 
You record the color and then drop the marble back into
the bag.  You repeat the experiment a second time.
This experiment involves a process called with
replacement. You put the object back into the bag
so that the number of marbles to choose from is the
same for both draws. Independent Event.
 Suppose you have a bag of with 4 red, 5 blue & 9
yellow marbles in it.

From the second bag you do exactly the same thing

EXCEPT, after you select the first marble and record it's
color, you do NOT put the marble back into the bag. 
You then select a second marble, just like the other
experiment.
This experiment involves a process called without
replacement You do not put the object back in the
bag so that the number of marbles is one less
than for the first draw. Dependent Event

As you might imagine, the probabilities

for the two experiments will not be the
 An Independent Event: is an event whose
outcome is not affected by another event.
 Example: Rolling a die & flipping a coin
 With Replacement

 An Dependent Event: is an event whose

outcome is affected by a prior event
 Example: pulling two marbles out of a bag at the
same time
 Without Replacement
“Is this problem with replacement?”
OR
“Is this problem without replacement?”
Try the following
 A player is dealt two cards from a standard deck of
52 cards. What is the probability of getting a pair
of aces?
 

 This is “without replacement” because the player

was given two cards
   

4 3 12 1
P(Ace, then Ace) =
   
  52 51 2652 221
***There are four aces in a deck and you assume the first card is an ace.***
 

**Can cross cancel with

multiplication**
 A jar contains two red and five green marbles. A
marble is drawn, its color noted and put back in the
jar. What is the probability that you select three green
marbles?
 

 With replacement
 
5 5 5 125
 P(green, then green, then green) =   
7 7 7 343
 What is the probability of rolling a die and getting an
even number on the first roll and an odd number on the
second roll? 3 3 9 1
With replacement   
6 6 36 4
(independent)
 When flipping a coin and rolling a die, what is the
probability of a coin landing on heads and then rolling a
five on a number cube? 1 1 1
With replacement  
2 6 12
(independent)
 A bag of candy contains 4 lemon heads and 5 war
heads. If Tim reaches in, takes one out and eats it, and
then 20 minutes later selects another candy and its that
as well, what is the probability that they were both
lemon heads? 4 3 12 1
Without replacement  
9 8 72

6
(dependent)
 Mary has 4 dimes, 3 quarters, and 7 nickels in her
purse. She reaches in and pulls out a coin, only to have
it slip form her fingers and fall back into her purse. She
then picks another coin. What is the probability Mary
picked a nickel both tries?
  With replacement 7 7 49 1
  
14 14 196 4
(independent)
 Michael has four oranges, seven bananas, and five
apples in a fruit basket. If Michael picks a piece of fruit
at random, find the probability that Michael picks two
apples.

Without replacement
5 4 20 1
(dependent) 
16 15
 
240 12
 A man goes to work long before sunrise every morning
and gets dressed in the dark. In his sock drawer he has
six black and eight blue socks. What is the probability
that his first pick was a black sock and his second pick
was a blue sock?
Without replacement 6

8

48

24
(dependent) 14 13 182 91

 Sam has five $1 bills, three $10 bills, and two $20 bills
in her wallet. She picks two bills at random. What is the
probability of her picking the two $20 bills?
Without replacement 2 1 3 1
  
10 9 90 30
(dependent)
 A drawer contains 3 red paperclips, 4 green paperclips,
and 5 blue paperclips.  One paperclip is taken from the
drawer and then replaced.  Another paperclip is taken
from the drawer.  What is the probability that the first
paperclip is red and the second paperclip is blue?
With replacement 3 5 5
 
(independent) 12 12 48

 A bag contains 3 blue and 5 red marbles. Find the

probability of drawing 2 blue marbles in a row without
replacing the first marble.

Without replacement 3 2
 
3
(dependent) 4 7 28
Simulations
 An Simulation: is an experiment that is
designed to act out a give event.
 Example: Use a calculator to simulate rolling a
number cube
 Simulations often use models to act out an
event that would be impractical to perform.
Try the following
. In football, many factors are used to evaluate how good a quarterback is.
One important factor is the ability to complete passes. If a quarterback has
a completion percent of 64%, he completes about 64 out of 100 passes he
throws. What is the probability that he will complete at least 6 of 10 passes
thrown? A simulation can help you estimate this probability…
a. In a set of random numbers, each number has the same probability of occurring,
and no pattern can be used to predict the next number. Random numbers can
be used to simulate events. Below is a set of 100 random digits.
b. Since the probability that the quarterback completes a pass is 64% (or 0.64),
use the digits from the table to model the situation. The numbers 1-64
represent a completed pass and the numbers 65-00 represent an incomplete
pass. Each group of 20 digits represents one trial.
c. In the first trial (the first row of the table) circle the completed passes.

d. How many passes were completed in this trial?

6
e. Continue using the chart to circle the completed passes. Based on this
simulation what is the probability of completing at least 6 out of 10
passes? 7/10
7/10
6
7
7
6
5
8
7
7
4
5
2. A cereal company is placing one of eight different trading
cards in its boxes of cereal. If each card is equally likely to
appear in a box of cereal, describe a model that could be
used to simulate the cards you would find in fifteen boxes of
cereal.

a. Choosing a method that has 8 possible outcomes, such as tossing 3

coins. Let each outcome represent a different card. For example, the
outcome of all three coins landing on heads could simulate finding
card #1.
b. Toss three coins to simulate the cards that might be in 15 boxes of
cereal. How many times would you have to repeat?
15 times
3. A restaurant is giving away 1 of 5 different toys with
its children’s meals. If the toys are given out
randomly, describe a model that could be used to
simulate which toys would be given with 6 children’s
meals.

Use a spinner with 5 equal sections,

spin it 6 times