Goldfish Probability Activity

Materials Needed: Goldfish in various colors, worksheet

Objective: Students will be able to understand and explain:

● How probabilities are determined
● Experimental probabilities versus theoretical probabilities
● Properties of probability
● Mutually exclusive events and non-mutually exclusive events

The fish in the sample represent healthy and sick fish. Green fish are sick. All other colored fish
are healthy.

Part A. Complete the following:

1. Count and record the number of healthy fish (not green) _______________________

2. Count and record the number of sick fish (green) _______________________

3. Count and record the total number of fish _______________________

Part B. Complete the following using your numbers from part A

4. Compute the probability that a fish in your sample is healthy _____________________

5. Compute the probability that a fish in your sample is sick _____________________

6. Add together the probability of getting a sick fish plus the probability of getting a healthy fish

_______________________

Part C. Compute the following (complimentary events)

7. Compute the probability of NOT getting a healthy fish

________________________

8. Compute the probability of NOT getting a sick fish

________________________
How are questions 7 & 8 related to questions 4 & 5?

Part D: A park ranger estimates there are a total of 300 fish in the pond. Using your computed
probabilities estimate the following:
9. Estimate the number of healthy fish in the pond

________________________

10. Estimate the number of sick fish in the pond

________________________

Part E. Using your numbers from questions 9 & 10. If I wanted to catch and eat a fish out of the
pond, how many fish must I catch to guarantee (100%) that I would catch at least 1 healthy fish?