Counting the Number of

Occurences of an Outcome
in an Experiment
 Counting Outcomes
Objectives:
(1) To develop fluency with counting
strategies to determine the sample
space for an event.

Essential Questions:
(1) How can I construct and use a
frequency table (a.k.a. tree diagram)?
(2) How can I use the Fundamental
Counting Principle to find the number
of outcomes?
 Counting Outcomes
Have you ever seen or heard the
Subway or Starbucks advertising
campaigns where they talk about the
10,000 different combinations of ways
to order a sub or drink?
When companies like these make
these claims they are using all the
different condiments and ways to
serve a drink.
It is important to determine the number of the
possible outcomes of an experiment to easily
visualize the choices that we have. A sample
space or probability space is the set of all
possible outcomes of an experiment. There are
different methods to count the number of
possible outcomes of an experiment:
A.Using a table
One method to determine the number of possible outcomes of
an experiment is by creating a table or chart. This method is
commonly used for two events.
Illustrative Example 2:
Green Cab’s Pizza Parlor offers three kinds of toppings and
four kinds of crust. How many pizza choices with 1 kind of
toppings and 1 kind of crust can be made in Green Cab’s
Pizza Parlor?

Crusts/Toppings Ham Pepperoni Veggie

Classic Ham-Classic Pepperoni-Classic Veggie-Classic
Pan Ham-Pan Pepperoni-Pan Veggie-Pan
Thin Ham-Thin Pepperoni-Thin Veggie-Thin
Stuffed Ham-Stuffed Pepperoni-Stuffed Veggie-Stuffed

Answer: There are 12 possible 1-topping pizza

choices in Green Cab’s Pizza Parlor
Illustrative Example 3:
Maria was invited to attend her friend’s birthday party. She has
three shirts (yellow, white and black), and two pairs of pants (jeans
and slacks). However, she cannot decide what to wear. Let us help
Maria to decide what she will wear for her friend’s birthday party.

Shirts/Pants Jeans Slacks

Yellow Shirt - Yellow Shirt -
Yellow Shirt
Jeans Slacks
White Shirt White Shirt - Jeans White Shirt - Slacks
Black Shirt Maria
Answer: Black
can Shirt
wear 6- different
Jeans Black Shirt
outfits to - Slacks
attend her friend’s birthday party.
Activity 1: MORE OR LESS…
Direction: Read and analyse the situation. Complete the tables below. Write your
answer on a separate piece of paper
•The menu in a school cafeteria is shown, for food: fish, chicken and vegetables; and
for drinks: bottled water, soft drinks and juice.

Food/Drink Bottled Water Soft Drink Juice

Fish Fish-Bottled Water (1)_________ (2)_________

Chicken (3)____________ (4)_________ Chicken-Juice
Vegetable-Soft
Vegetable (5)____________ Vegetable-Juice
Drink
B. Using a tree diagram
A tree diagram is the useful method to easily
enumerate all the possible outcomes using the
line segment as the branch from starting point
to outcome point.
 TREE DIAGRAMS

A tree diagram is a diagram

used to show the total
number of possible outcomes
in a probability experiment.
GreenCab’s Pizza Parlor offers three kinds of toppings and four kinds of crust.
How many pizza choices with 1 kind of toppings and 1 kind of crust can be
made in GreenCab’s Pizza Parlor?

Answer: By counting the line segments pointing at the

choices, there are 12 possible 1-topping pizza choices in
GreenCab’s Pizza Parlor.
Maria was invited to attend her friend’s birthday party. She has three shirts (yellow,
white and black), and two pairs of pants (jeans and slacks). However, she cannot decide
what to wear. Let us help Maria to decide what she will wear for her friend’s birthday
party.

Answer: Maria can wear 6 different outfits

to attend her friend’s birthday party.
 Counting Outcomes
Example 1: Tree Diagrams.
A new polo shirt is released in 4 different
colors and 5 different sizes. How many
different color and size combinations are
available to the public?

Colors – (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow)

Sizes – (S, M, L, XL, XXL)
 Counting Outcomes
Example 1: Tree Diagrams.
Answer.
Red Blue Green Yellow

S M L XL XXL S M L XL XXL

S M L XL XXL S M L XL XXL

There are 20 different combinations.

 Counting Outcomes
Example 2: Tree Diagram.
Tamara spins a spinner two
times. What is her probability
of spinning a green on the
first spin and a blue on the second spin?
 Counting Outcomes
Example 2: Tree Diagram.
Tamara spins a spinner two
times. What is her probability
of spinning a green on the
first spin and a blue on the second spin?
Green Blue

Green Blue Green Blue

Only one outcome has green then blue, and there are 4
possibilities…so the P(green, blue) = ¼ or .25 or 25%
C. Using a systematic listing
Another method to count the number of the
sample space of an experiment is by listing
down all the possible outcomes in
systematic way.
GreenCab’s Pizza Parlor offers three kinds of
toppings and four kinds of crust. How many pizza
choices with 1 kind of toppings and 1 kind of
crust can be made in GreenCab’s Pizza Parlor?
1. Ham-Classic 5. Pepperoni-Classic 9. Veggie-Classic
2. Ham-Pan 6. Pepperoni-Pan 10. Veggie-Pan
3. Ham-Thin 7. Pepperoni-Thin 11. Veggie-Thin
8. Pepperoni- 12. Veggie-
4. Ham-Stuffed
Stuffed Stuffed

Answer: Green Cab’s Pizza Parlor can

offer 12 different 1-toppings pizza choices.
Maria was invited to attend her friend’s
birthday party. She has three shirts
(yellow, white and black), and two pairs
of pants (jeans and slacks). However, she
cannot decide what to wear. Let us help
Maria to decide what she will wear for
her friend’s birthday party.
1. Yellow Shirt- 4. Yellow Shirt-
Jeans Slacks
5. White Shirt-
2. White Shirt-Jeans
Slacks
3. Black Shirt-Jeans 6. Black
Answer: Maria can wear 6 Shirt-Slacks
different outfits to attend her
friend’s birthday party.
KEY
Fundamental Counting Principle
CONCEPT
If event M has m possible outcomes and event N
has n possible outcomes, then event M and event
N has m x n possible outcomes.
 Counting Outcomes

(2) THE FUNDAMENTAL

COUNTING PRINCIPLE

The Fundamental Counting Principle uses

multiplication of the number of ways each
event in an experiment can occur to find
the number of possible outcomes in a
sample space.
 Counting Outcomes
Example 1: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
A new polo shirt is released in 4 different
colors and 5 different sizes. How many
different color and size combinations are
available to the public?

Colors – (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow)

Sizes – (S, M, L, XL, XXL)
 Counting Outcomes
Example 1: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
Answer.

Number of Number of Number of

Possible Colors Possible Sizes Possible
Comb.

4 x 5 = 20
 Counting Outcomes
Example 3: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
If a lottery game is made up of three
digits from 0 to 9, what is the
probability of winning the game?
 Counting Outcomes
Example 3: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
If a lottery game is made up of three digits
from 0 to 9, what is the probability of
winning if you buy 1 ticket?
# of Possible # of Possible # of Possible # of
Possible
Digits Digits Digits Outcomes

10 x 10 x 10 = 1000

Because there are 1000 different possibilities, buying one

ticket gives you a 1/1000 probability or 0.001 or 0.1% chance
of winning.
 Counting Outcomes
Guided Practice: Determine the probability
for each problem.
(1) How many outfits are possible from a pair
of jean or khaki shorts and a choice of
yellow, white, or blue shirt?

(2) Scott has 5 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, and 4

pairs of socks. How many different outfits
can Scott choose with a shirt, pair of
pants, and pair of socks?
 Counting Outcomes
Guided Practice: Determine the probability
for each problem.

(1) Jean Shorts Khaki Shorts

Yellow White Blue Yellow White Blue

JSYS1 JSWS2 JSBS3 KSYS4 KSWS5 KSBS6

(2) Number Number Number Number

Of Shirts Of Pants Of Socks Of Outfits

5 x 3 x 4 = 60
 Counting Outcomes
Real World Example: The Fundamental
Counting Principle.
How many seven digit telephone numbers
can be made up using the digits 0-9,
without repetition?
 Counting Outcomes
Real World Example: The Fundamental
Counting Principle.
How many seven digit telephone numbers
can be made up using the digits 0-9,
without repetition?

Answer: 604,800 different numbers

 Counting Outcomes
Real World Example: Tree Diagram.
Kaitlyn tosses a coin 3 times. Draw a
picture showing the possible outcomes.
What is the probability of getting at
least 2 tails?
 Counting Outcomes
Real World Example: Tree Diagram.
Kaitlyn tosses a coin 3 times. Draw a
picture showing the possible outcomes.
What is the probability of getting at
least 2 tails?

Answer: P(at least 2 tails) = ½

 Counting Outcomes
Summary:
- A tree diagram is used to show all of the
possible outcomes, or sample space, in a
probability experiment.
- The fundamental counting principle can
be used to count the number of possible
outcomes given an event that can happen
in some number of ways followed by
another event that can happen in some
number of different ways.
 Counting Outcomes
Summary: So when should I use a tree
diagram or the fundamental counting
principle?
- A tree diagram is used to:
(1) show sample space;
(2) count the number of preferred outcomes.
- The fundamental counting principle can
be used to:
(1) count the total number of outcomes.
Another way to count all possible outcomes of an experiment is
through fundamental counting principle when given two or more
events by multiplying the outcomes for each individual event.

KEY CONCEPT Fundamental Counting Principle

If event M has m possible outcomes and event N has n possible outcomes, then event M and event
N has m x n possible outcomes.
Illustrative Example 1:
Upin and Ipin were playing “Snake and Ladder”. If they rolled a dice at the same time, how
many possible outcomes can they move on the spaces?
Step 1: Identify the events.
The event is rolling a two dice at the same time.
Let, M = the first event (first dice)
N = the second event (second dice)
Step 2: Determine the number of the outcomes for each event.
The total number of possible outcomes of rolling a die is 6.
**Note that the first and second event occur at the same time.
Step 3: Compute using FCP.
m x n = total outcomes
6 x 6 = 36
Step 4: Interpret the result.
When Upin and Ipin rolled a pair of dice at the same time, the total number of possible
outcomes is 36.
Illustrative Example 2:
A spinner with 5 equal sections marked A, B, C, D, and E is spun, and a card is
picked from cards numbered 1 to 10. Find the total number of possible outcomes.
Step 1: Identify the events.
First Event: A spinner with 5 equal sections marked A, B, C, D, and E.
Second Event: A card picked from cards numbered 1 to 10.
Step 2: Determine the number of the outcomes for each event.
The total number of outcomes of the spinner when spun is 5 and the total number
of outcomes of the second event that randomly pick from a card is 10.
Step 3: Compute using FCP.
spinner outcomes x card outcomes = total outcomes
5 x 10 = 50
Step 4: Interpret the result.
The total number of possible outcomes when the spinner is spun and a card is
picked at the same time is 50.