10/10/21, 11:04 PM * Binomial probability formula (practice) | Khan Academy

Math · AP®︎/College Statistics · Random variables and probability distributions

· Introduction to the binomial distribution

Binomial probability formula

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Biologists breed a pair of plants where each plant has the color genes Gg. This means that any
offspring these plants produce has a 25% chance of inheriting the color genes gg, which makes the
offspring an albino plant. Assume that offspring inherit genes independently from each other.

Which of the following would find the probability of this pair producing exactly 1 albino plant among
6 offspring?

Choose 1 answer:

A (0.25)(0.75)5

B (0.25)5 (0.75)

INCORRECT

25
Math AP®︎/College ( ) (0.25)(0.75)5
Statistics Random variables 1
and probability distributions 25
Introduction to the binomial The binomial coefficient ( ) suggests we're looking for 1 success in 25 trials, but
1
3 of 4 Check again
distribution we're looking for 1 success in 6 trials.
Introduction to the binomial
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Introduction to the binomial
distribution
6
D ( ) (0.25)5 (0.75)
probability distribution 1

6
Graphing basketball E ( ) (0.25)(0.75)5
binomial distribution 1

Binompdf and binomcdf

functions
1/4
Probability of 1 albino offspring

We want the probability that this pair produces 1 success (albino plant) in 6 trials
Binomial probability
(number of offspring), so we're going to need 5 failures (non-albino plants) as well. The
(basic)
probability of each success is 25% and the probability of each failure is 75%. Since we
were told to assume independence, we can multiply probabilities to find the probability of
Practice: Binomial getting 1 success followed by 5 failures:
probability formula
P (SFFFFF) = (0.25)(0.75)(0.75)(0.75)(0.75)(0.75)
Practice: Calculating
binomial probability = (0.25)(0.75)5

The binomial coefficient ( )

Next lesson
2/4 n
k
SFFFFF isn't the only arrangement that produces 1 success in 6 trials. For instance,
FFFFFS would also produce the desired outcome. To count how many possible

arrangements there are, we use the binomial coefficient ( ) . It tells us the number of
n
k
possible arrangements for k successes in n trials. In this problem, we want k = 1 success
6
(albino) in n = 6 trials (offspring), so we should use the binomial coefficient ( ) .
1
​

[Tell me more about the binomial coefficient.]

3/4 Putting it together 3 of 4 Check again

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10/10/21, 11:04 PM * Binomial probability formula (practice) | Khan Academy

Each arrangement has probability (0.25)(0.75)5 so for our final answer we multiply this
probability by the number of possible arrangements:

6
( ) (0.25)(0.75)5
1

4/4 The answer:

6
( ) (0.25)(0.75)5
1

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