Grade 10

Ch 14 Probability
Session 1
Introduction-> Probability as concept, Complementary events,
Impossible and sure or certain event, Explanation of playing cards
Examples: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,12,13
Probability
● Probability is the measure of the likelihood of an event to occur. Events can’t be predicted with certainty but can
be expressed as how likely it can occur using the idea of probability.

● Probability can range between 0 and 1, where 0 probability means the event is an impossible one and probability
of 1 indicates a certain or sure event.
PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE OF AN EVENT

Empirical Probability / Experimental Probability

Experimental Probability can be applied to any event associated with an experiment that is repeated a large number
of times.

A trial is when the experiment is performed once. It is also known as empirical probability.

Experimental or empirical probability : P(E) =

Theoretical Probability

P(E) =

Here we assume that the outcomes of the experiment are equally likely.
Complementary Events:
Complementary events are two events that exist such that one event will occur if and only if the other does not take place.
If E is an event, then its complementary event is denoted by E’ or and it represents ‘not E’.
P(E) + P() = 1 , where E and are the complementary events.

Eg:
If getting a heads by tossing a coin is an event, then its complementary event is getting the tails.
If getting 2 on a die is an event, then its complementary event is getting 1,3, 4, 5 or 6.

Impossible event
An event that has no chance of occurring is called an Impossible event, i.e. P(E) = 0.
Eg: Probability of getting a 7 on a die is 0 as 7 can never be an outcome when a die is rolled.

Sure event
An event that has a 100% probability of occurrence is called a sure event. The probability of occurrence of a sure event is
one, i.e. P(E) = 1.

Eg: What is the probability that a number obtained after throwing a die is less than 7?
So, P(E) = P(Getting number less than 7) = = 1
Properties of Probability:

1. The probability of any event lies between 0 and 1 including both. So,0 P(A) 1, for any event A.

2. The probability of an event (U) which is impossible to occur is 0. Such an event is called an impossible event. So, P(U) = 0.

3. The probability of an event (X) which is sure (or certain) to occur is 1. Such an event is called sure event or a certain event.
P(X) = 1

4. The sum of the probabilities of all the possible outcomes of an experiment is 1.

5. Probability of the occurrence of an event + Probability of the non-occurrence of that event = 1

Example 1
Example – 1: Find the probability of getting a head when a coin is tossed once. Also find the probability of getting a tail.

Ans.

In the experiment of tossing a coin once, the number of possible outcomes is two – ________ and ________ .

Let be the event ‘getting a head’. The number of outcomes favourable to , (i.e., of getting head) is ____. Therefore,

Similarly, if is the event ‘getting a tail’, then

Remarks:
1. An event having only one outcome of the experiment is called an _____________ event. Here, both the events and are
elementary events.
2. Here, we note that:

Observe that the sum of the _______________ of all the _____________ events of an experiment is ___.
Example – 1: Find the probability of getting a head when a coin is tossed once. Also find the probability of getting a tail.

Ans.

In the experiment of tossing a coin once, the number of possible outcomes is two – Head and Tail .

Let be the event ‘getting a head’. The number of outcomes favourable to , (i.e., of getting head) is 1. Therefore,

Similarly, if is the event ‘getting a tail’, then

Remarks:
1. An event having only one outcome of the experiment is called an elementary event. Here, both the events and are
elementary events.
2. Here, we note that:

Observe that the sum of the probabilities of all the elementary events of an experiment is 1.
Example 2
Example – 2: A bag contains a red ball, a blue ball and a yellow ball, all the balls being of the same size. Kritika takes out a
ball from the bag without looking into it. What is the probability that she takes out the
(i) yellow ball? (ii) red ball? (iii) blue ball?
Ans.
Kritika takes out a ball from the bag without looking into it. So, it is equally likely that she takes out any one of them.
Let be the event ‘the ball taken out is yellow’, be the event ‘the ball taken out is blue’, and be the event ‘the ball taken out is
red’.

Now, the number of balls = the number of possible outcomes .

(i) The number of outcomes favourable to the event .

So,

Similarly, (ii) and (iii)

Remarks:
1. An event having only one outcome of the experiment is called an elementary event. Here, all three events, , and are
elementary events.
2. Here, we note that:

Observe that the sum of the probabilities of all the elementary events of an experiment is 1. This is true in general also.
Example – 2: A bag contains a red ball, a blue ball and a yellow ball, all the balls being of the same size. Kritika takes out a
ball from the bag without looking into it. What is the probability that she takes out the
(i) yellow ball? (ii) red ball? (iii) blue ball?
Ans.
Kritika takes out a ball from the bag without looking into it. So, it is equally likely that she takes out any one of them.
Let be the event ‘the ball taken out is yellow’, be the event ‘the ball taken out is blue’, and be the event ‘the ball taken out is
red’.

Now, the number of balls = the number of possible outcomes .

(i) The number of outcomes favourable to the event .

So,

Similarly, (ii) and (iii)

Remarks:
1. An event having only one outcome of the experiment is called an elementary event. Here, all three events, , and are
elementary events.
2. Here, we note that:

Observe that the sum of the probabilities of all the elementary events of an experiment is ___. This is true in general also.
Example 3
Example – 3: Suppose we throw a die once. (i) What is the probability of getting a number greater than 4? (ii) What is the
probability of getting a number less than or equal to 4?

Ans. (i) Here, let be the event ‘getting a number ______________’.

The number of possible outcomes is ___: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The outcomes favourable to are 5 and 6.
Therefore, the number of outcomes favourable to is __.
So,

(ii) Let be the event ‘getting a number less than or equal to 4’.
Number of possible outcomes
Outcomes favourable to the event are _________.
So, the number of outcomes favourable to is __.
Therefore,

In (i) and (ii) above, is same as ‘not ’. We denote the event ‘not ’ by Ē.
So,
i.e., , which gives us .

In general, it is true that for an event ,

The event , representing ‘not ’, is called the _______________ of the event . We also say that and are _____________ events.
Example – 3: Suppose we throw a die once. (i) What is the probability of getting a number greater than 4? (ii) What is the
probability of getting a number less than or equal to 4?

Ans. (i) Here, let be the event ‘getting a number greater than 4’.
The number of possible outcomes is six: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The outcomes favourable to are 5 and 6.
Therefore, the number of outcomes favourable to is 2.
So,

(ii) Let be the event ‘getting a number less than or equal to 4’.
Number of possible outcomes
Outcomes favourable to the event are 1,2,3,4.
So, the number of outcomes favourable to is 4.
Therefore,

In (i) and (ii) above, is same as ‘not ’. We denote the event ‘not ’ by Ē.
So,
i.e., , which gives us .

In general, it is true that for an event ,

The event , representing ‘not ’, is called the complement of the event . We also say that and are complementary events.
PLAYING CARDS

A deck of playing cards has in all 52 cards.

(i) It has 13 cards each of four suits, namely spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds.
(a) Cards of spades and clubs are black cards.
(b) Cards of hearts and diamonds are red cards.

Spades Hearts Clubs Diamonds

(ii) Kings, queens and jacks (or knaves) are known as face cards. Thus, there are in all 12 face cards.

King Queen Jack

(iii) The cards in each suit are ace (A), king (K), queen (Q), jack (J), 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.
Example 4
Example – 4: One card is drawn from a well-shuffled deck of 52 cards. Calculate the probability that the card will (i) be an
ace, (ii) not be an ace.
Ans. Well-shuffled deck of 52 cards ensures equally likely outcomes.

(i) There are ___ aces in a deck. Let be the event ‘the card is an _____’.
The number of outcomes favourable to
The number of possible outcomes

Therefore,

(ii) Let be the event ‘card drawn is not an ace’.

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
The number of possible outcomes

Therefore,

Remark: Note that is nothing but Ē. Therefore, we can also calculate as follows:
Example – 4: One card is drawn from a well-shuffled deck of 52 cards. Calculate the probability that the card will (i) be an
ace, (ii) not be an ace.
Ans. Well-shuffled deck of 52 cards ensures equally likely outcomes.

(i) There are 4 aces in a deck. Let be the event ‘the card is an ace’.
The number of outcomes favourable to
The number of possible outcomes

Therefore,

(ii) Let be the event ‘card drawn is not an ace’.

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
The number of possible outcomes

Therefore,

Remark: Note that is nothing but Ē. Therefore, we can also calculate as follows:
Example 5
Example – 5: Two players, Sangeeta and Reshma, play a tennis match. It is known that the probability of Sangeeta winning
the match is 0.62. What is the probability of Reshma winning the match?

Ans.

Let S and R denote the events that Sangeeta wins the match and Reshma wins the match, respectively.

The probability of Sangeeta winning the match

Here, S and R are complementary events.

The probability of Reshma winning the match

Example – 5: Two players, Sangeeta and Reshma, play a tennis match. It is known that the probability of Sangeeta winning
the match is 0.62. What is the probability of Reshma winning the match?

Ans.

Let S and R denote the events that Sangeeta wins the match and Reshma wins the match, respectively.

The probability of Sangeeta winning the match

Here, S and R are complementary events.

The probability of Reshma winning the match

Example 6
Example – 6: Savita and Hamida are friends. What is the probability that both will have (i) different birthdays? (ii) the same
birthday? (ignoring a leap year).

Ans. There are 365 days in a year. We assume that these 365 outcomes are equally likely.

Out of the two friends, let Savita’s birthday be any day of the year. Now, Hamida’s birthday can be the same day as that of
Savita or any day of remaining days in the year i.e. 365 – ___ = _____ days.

(i) If Hamida’s birthday is different from Savita’s, the number of favourable outcomes for her birthday is
So,

(ii) As the events of different birthdays and the same birthdays are complementary events,

[Using ]
Example – 6: Savita and Hamida are friends. What is the probability that both will have (i) different birthdays? (ii) the same
birthday? (ignoring a leap year).

Ans. There are 365 days in a year. We assume that these 365 outcomes are equally likely.

Out of the two friends, let Savita’s birthday be any day of the year. Now, Hamida’s birthday can be the same day as that of
Savita or any day of remaining days in the year i.e. 365 – 1 = 364 days.

(i) If Hamida’s birthday is different from Savita’s, the number of favourable outcomes for her birthday is
So,

(ii) As the events of different birthdays and the same birthdays are complementary events,

[Using ]
Example 7
Example – 7: There are 40 students in Class X of a school of whom 25 are girls and 15 are boys. The class teacher has to
select one student as a class representative. She writes the name of each student on a separate card, the cards being
identical. Then she puts cards in a bag and stirs them thoroughly. She then draws one card from the bag. What is the
probability that the name written on the card is the name of (i) a girl? (ii) a boy?

Ans. There are 40 students, and only one name card has to be chosen.

(i) The number of all possible outcomes = ___

There are ___ girls.
The number of outcomes favourable for a card with the name of a girl

Therefore,

(ii) The number of all possible outcomes = 40

There are 15 boys.
The number of outcomes favourable for a card with the name of a boy

Therefore,

Note: We can also determine , by taking

Example – 7: There are 40 students in Class X of a school of whom 25 are girls and 15 are boys. The class teacher has to
select one student as a class representative. She writes the name of each student on a separate card, the cards being
identical. Then she puts cards in a bag and stirs them thoroughly. She then draws one card from the bag. What is the
probability that the name written on the card is the name of (i) a girl? (ii) a boy?

Ans. There are 40 students, and only one name card has to be chosen.

(i) The number of all possible outcomes = 40

There are 25 girls.
The number of outcomes favourable for a card with the name of a girl

Therefore,

(ii) The number of all possible outcomes = 40

There are 15 boys.
The number of outcomes favourable for a card with the name of a boy

Therefore,

Note: We can also determine , by taking

Example 8
Example – 8: A box contains 3 blue, 2 white, and 4 red marbles. If a marble is drawn at random from the box, what is the
probability that it will be (i) white? (ii) blue? (iii) red?
Ans. A marble is drawn at random means that all the marbles are equally likely to be drawn.
Therefore, the number of possible outcomes = ___ + ___ + ___ = ____

Let W denote the event ‘the marble is white’, B denote the event ‘the marble is blue’ and R denote the event ‘the marble is
red’.

(i) Number of white marbles = ___

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
So,

(ii) Number of blue marbles = ___

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
So,

(iii) Number of red marbles = ___

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
So,

Note that
Example – 8: A box contains 3 blue, 2 white, and 4 red marbles. If a marble is drawn at random from the box, what is the
probability that it will be (i) white? (ii) blue? (iii) red?
Ans. A marble is drawn at random means that all the marbles are equally likely to be drawn.
Therefore, the number of possible outcomes = 3 + 2 + 4 = 9

Let W denote the event ‘the marble is white’, B denote the event ‘the marble is blue’ and R denote the event ‘the marble is
red’.

(i) Number of white marbles = 2

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
So,

(ii) Number of blue marbles = 3

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
So,

(iii) Number of red marbles = 4

The number of outcomes favourable to the event
So,

Note that
Example 9
Example – 9: Harpreet tosses two different coins simultaneously (say, one is of ₹1 and other of ₹2). What is the probability
that she gets at least one head?

Ans.

We write H for ‘_____’ and T for ‘______’.

When two coins are tossed simultaneously, the possible outcomes are __________________________________, which are all
equally likely. So, number of possible outcomes are ____.

Here (H, H) means head up on the first coin (say on ₹1) and head up on the second coin ( ₹2). Similarly (H, T) means head up on
the first coin and tail up on the second coin and so on.

The outcomes favourable to the event E, ‘at least one head’ are ____________ and ______.
So, the number of outcomes favourable to event E is ___.

Therefore,

Note: Here, since event E is ‘getting at least one head’, is the event ‘___________’. Outcome with no head is _____. So, ____
outcome is favourable to event . So, P
So, we can also find as follows:
Example – 9: Harpreet tosses two different coins simultaneously (say, one is of ₹1 and other of ₹2). What is the probability
that she gets at least one head?

Ans.

We write H for ‘head’ and T for ‘tail’.

When two coins are tossed simultaneously, the possible outcomes are (H, H), (H, T), (T, H), (T, T), which are all equally likely. So,
number of possible outcomes are 4.

Here (H, H) means head up on the first coin (say on ₹1) and head up on the second coin ( ₹2). Similarly (H, T) means head up on
the first coin and tail up on the second coin and so on.

The outcomes favourable to the event E, ‘at least one head’ are (H, H), (H, T) and (T, H).
So, the number of outcomes favourable to event E is 3.

Therefore,

Note: Here, since event E is ‘getting at least one head’, is the event ‘no head’. Outcome with no head is (T, T). So, one outcome
is favourable to event . So, P
So, we can also find as follows:
Example 12
Example – 12: A carton consists of 100 shirts of which 88 are good, 8 have minor defects and 4 have major defects. Jimmy, a
trader, will only accept the shirts which are good, but Sujatha, another trader, will only reject the shirts which have major
defects. One shirt is drawn at random from the carton. What is the probability that (i) it is acceptable to Jimmy? (ii) it is
acceptable to Sujatha?

Ans. One shirt is drawn at random from the carton of 100 shirts. Therefore, there are ____ equally likely possible outcomes.

(i) Jimmy will only accept the shirts which are good. And there are ____ good shirts.
The number of outcomes favourable (i.e., acceptable) to Jimmy

Therefore,

(ii) Sujatha will only reject the shirts which have major defects.
So, Sujatha will accepts the good shirts (i.e. 88) and shirts having minor defect (i.e. __).
The number of outcomes favourable (i.e. acceptable) to Sujatha

Therefore,
Example – 12: A carton consists of 100 shirts of which 88 are good, 8 have minor defects and 4 have major defects. Jimmy, a
trader, will only accept the shirts which are good, but Sujatha, another trader, will only reject the shirts which have major
defects. One shirt is drawn at random from the carton. What is the probability that (i) it is acceptable to Jimmy? (ii) it is
acceptable to Sujatha?

Ans. One shirt is drawn at random from the carton of 100 shirts. Therefore, there are 100 equally likely possible outcomes.

(i) Jimmy will only accept the shirts which are good. And there are 88 good shirts.
The number of outcomes favourable (i.e., acceptable) to Jimmy

Therefore,

(ii) Sujatha will only reject the shirts which have major defects.
So, Sujatha will accepts the good shirts (i.e. 88) and shirts having minor defect (i.e. 8).
The number of outcomes favourable (i.e. acceptable) to Sujatha

Therefore,
Example 13
Example – 13: Two dice, one blue and one grey, are thrown at the same time. Write down all the possible outcomes. What
is the probability that the sum of the two numbers appearing on the top of the dice is (i) 8? (ii) 13? (iii) less than or equal
to 12?
Ans. When the blue die shows ‘1’, the grey die could show any one of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The same is true when the
blue die shows ‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’, ‘5’ or ‘6’. The possible outcomes of the experiment are listed in the table below; the first number in
each ordered pair is the number appearing on the blue die and the second number is that on the grey die.

1 2 3 4 5 6
1
2
3
4
5
6
Example – 13: Two dice, one blue and one grey, are thrown at the same time. Write down all the possible outcomes. What
is the probability that the sum of the two numbers appearing on the top of the dice is (i) 8? (ii) 13? (iii) less than or equal
to 12?
Ans. (Ctd…)

Note that the pair (1,4) is different from (4,1). So, the number of possible outcomes .

(i) The outcomes favourable to the event ‘the sum of the two numbers is 8’ denoted by E, are: __________________________
(see Fig.). So, the number of outcomes favourable to .
Hence,

(ii) It can seen from Fig., there is no outcome favourable to the event F, ‘the sum of two numbers is 13’.
So,

(iii) From Fig, all the outcomes are favourable to the event G, ‘the sum of two numbers ≤ 12’.
So,
Example – 13: Two dice, one blue and one grey, are thrown at the same time. Write down all the possible outcomes. What
is the probability that the sum of the two numbers appearing on the top of the dice is (i) 8? (ii) 13? (iii) less than or equal
to 12?
Ans. When the blue die shows ‘1’, the grey die could show any one of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The same is true when the
blue die shows ‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’, ‘5’ or ‘6’. The possible outcomes of the experiment are listed in the table below; the first number in
each ordered pair is the number appearing on the blue die and the second number is that on the grey die.
Example – 13: Two dice, one blue and one grey, are thrown at the same time. Write down all the possible outcomes. What
is the probability that the sum of the two numbers appearing on the top of the dice is (i) 8? (ii) 13? (iii) less than or equal
to 12?
Ans. (Ctd…)

Note that the pair (1,4) is different from (4,1). So, the number of possible outcomes .

(i) The outcomes favourable to the event ‘the sum of the two numbers is 8’ denoted by E, are: (2, 6), (3, 5), (4, 4), (5, 3), (6, 2)
(see Fig.). So, the number of outcomes favourable to .
Hence,

(ii) It can seen from Fig., there is no outcome favourable to the event F, ‘the sum of two numbers is 13’.
So,

(iii) From Fig, all the outcomes are favourable to the event G, ‘the sum of two numbers ≤ 12’.
So,