Mathematics literacy. Topic: Probability.

Grade 11

Begin with terminology

 Event - A collection of outcomes from an experiment.

 Frequency - The frequency is how often an event occurs during a specific
amount of time.
 Relative frequency – the number of times an event occurs divided by the
total number of occurrences.
Relative frequency =the number of ×an outcome occurs÷ thetotal number of trial.
The more times you conduct an experiment, the closer the frequency moves
towards the theoretical probability.
 Probability - The probability is the chance that an event will or will not occur.
 Theoretical probability – is what is expected to happen based on
mathematics. Example of the coin toss.
 Experimental probability – is found by repeating an experiment and
observing the outcomes. Example of coin toss.
 Random - If something is random, then all possible events have an equal
chance of occurring.
 Percent - A percent is a special type of fraction where the denominator is
100. It can be written using the % sign. Example: 50%, this is the same as ½
or 50/100
 Trial: The numerous attempts in the process of an experiment are called
trials. In other words, any particular performance of a random experiment is
called a trial. For example, tossing a coin is a trial.
 Outcome - The result of an experiment. Also known as the result of a trial. In
the process of a sportsperson hitting a ball towards the goal post, there are
two clear outcomes. He may either make the goal or miss the goal.
 Possible Outcome: The list of all the outcomes in an experiment can be
referred to as possible outcomes. In tossing a coin, the possible outcomes are
heads or tails.
 Equally likely Outcomes: An experiment in which each of the outcomes has
an equal probability, such outcomes are referred to as equally likely
 outcomes. In the process of rolling a six-faced dice, the probability of getting
any number is equal.

P(any number)=1/6
 Sample Space:  It is the set of outcomes of all the trials in an experiment. On
rolling a dice, the possible outcomes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. These outcomes
make up the sample space. S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
 Probable Event: An event that can be predicted is called a probable event.
We can calculate the probability of such events. The probability of a particular
child being promoted to the next class can be calculated, hence, we can refer
to this as a probable event.
 Impossible Event:  An event that is not a part of the experiment, or which
does not belong to the sample space of the outcomes of the experiment can
be referred to as an impossible event. There is no snowfall in a temperate
climatic region.  Here, the snowfall can be referred to as an impossible event
because the probability of occurrence of such an event is zero.
 Complementary Events: Complementary events occur when there are just
two outcomes, and one event is exactly opposite to another event. For an
event with probability P(A),its compliment is P(¯A).
P(A)+P(¯A)=1
In an examination, the event of success and the event of failure are
complementary events.
P(Success)+P(¯Failure)=1
 Mutually Exclusive Events: Two events such that the happening of one
event prevents the happening of another event are referred to as mutually
exclusive events. In other words, two events are said to be mutually exclusive
events, if they cannot occur at the same time. For example, tossing a coin can
result in either heads or tails. Both cannot be seen at the same time.
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