Data Handling Session 2

PROBABILITY
Probability is a way of measuring the chance of an event happening

Random Experiment is one in which all possible outcomes are known but
cannot be predicted exactly in advance.
Example:
➢ Tossing a coin
➢ Rolling a die

An outcome is any possible result of a probability experiment.

Example:
➢ The outcomes of tossing a coin are heads and tails.
➢ Getting 5 is an outcome when a die is rolled.

A sample space of an experiment is the set of all possible outcomes of that

experiment.
Example:
➢ In rolling a dice, sample space = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
➢ In tossing a coin sample space = {head, tail}
An event is the collection of some outcomes of the random experiment.
Example:
➢ Getting Heads when a coin is tossed
➢ Getting an even number when a die is rolled
Probability of an event :
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
Probability of an event P(E ) =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠

(or)
𝑛(𝐸)
P(E) =
𝑛(𝑆)

EXAMPLE:
There are 6 marbles in a box with numbers 1 to 6 marked on each of
them.
i. What is the probability of drawing a marble with number 2?
ii. What is the probability of drawing a marble with even number?
Solution:
(i) Sample Space = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
Total number of outcomes = 6
Number of favourable outcomes =1
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
Probability of drawing a marble =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
with number 2
1
=
6

(ii) Sample Space = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

Total number of outcomes = 6
Number of favourable outcomes =3
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
Probability of drawing a marble =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
with number 5
3 1
= =
6 2
NOTE:
❖ Probability of an impossible event is 0.
❖ Probability of a sure event is 1.
❖ Probability is always a number between 0 and 1 including both.
0 ≤ P(E) ≤ 1
❖ The probabilities of all possible outcomes of an event add to 1.
❖ P (event not happening) = 1− P (event happening)