Tutorial 5.1 1. When flipping a coin, there are only two possible outcomes: a heads or a tails.

So, we say that the probability of getting a heads is one out of two, that is . When you sit for the examination at the end of this semester, there are also only two possible outcomes: you pass or you fail. So, is it right to say that the probability of you passing the examination is also ? If yes, why? If no, why not? 2. A person in a small foreign town applies for a marriage permit at age 18. To obtain the permit, the person is handed six strings, as shown in Figure (a). On one side (top or bottom) the ends are picked randomly, two at a time, and tied, forming three separate knots. The same procedure is then repeated for the other set of string ends, forming three more knots, as in Figure (b). If the strings form one closed ring, as in Figure (c), the person obtains the permit.

(a) Do you think the probability of the person getting the marriage permit is higher or lower that the probability of not getting the permit? (b) Carry out an experiment to check your guess in (a). (c) Determine the theoretical probability that the marriage permit will be obtained on the first try.
Source: Billstein, R., Libeskind, S. & Lott, J. W. (1990). A problem-solving approach to mathematics for elementary school teachers. 4th ed. Redwood City, CA:Benjamin/Cummings.p. 402.