Terminology Quiz

PDF page 182: Probability is a measure that is associated with how certain we are of results, or outcomes, of a particular activity. When the activity is a planned operation carried out under controlled conditions, it is called an experiment. If the result is not predetermined, then the experiment is said to be a chance experiment. Each time the experiment is attempted is called a trial. Examples of chance experiments include the following:

PDF page 182: Probability is a measure that is associated with how certain we are of results, or outcomes, of a particular activity. When the activity is a planned operation carried out under controlled conditions, it is called an experiment. If the result is not predetermined, then the experiment is said to be a chance experiment. Each time the experiment is attempted is called a trial. Examples of chance experiments include the following:

PDF page 182: Probability is a measure that is associated with how certain we are of results, or outcomes, of a particular activity. When the activity is a planned operation carried out under controlled conditions, it is called an experiment. If the result is not predetermined, then the experiment is said to be a chance experiment. Each time the experiment is attempted is called a trial. Examples of chance experiments include the following:

PDF page 182: A result of an experiment is called an outcome. The sample space of an experiment is the set, or collection, of all possible outcomes. There are four main ways to represent a sample space:

PDF page 182: A result of an experiment is called an outcome. The sample space of an experiment is the set, or collection, of all possible outcomes. There are four main ways to represent a sample space:

PDF page 183: *We will investigate tree diagrams and Venn diagrams in Section 3.5. Note—when represented as a set, the sample space is denoted with an uppercase S. An event is any combination of outcomes. It is a subset of the sample space, so uppercase letters like A and B are commonly used to represent events. For example, if the experiment is to flip three fair coins, event A might be getting at most one head. The probability of an event A is written P(A), and means the event A can never happen. P(A) = 1 means the event A always happens. means the event A is equally likely to occur or not to occur.

PDF page 183: *We will investigate tree diagrams and Venn diagrams in Section 3.5. Note—when represented as a set, the sample space is denoted with an uppercase S. An event is any combination of outcomes. It is a subset of the sample space, so uppercase letters like A and B are commonly used to represent events. For example, if the experiment is to flip three fair coins, event A might be getting at most one head. The probability of an event A is written P(A), and means the event A can never happen. P(A) = 1 means the event A always happens. means the event A is equally likely to occur or not to occur.

PDF page 183: *We will investigate tree diagrams and Venn diagrams in Section 3.5. Note—when represented as a set, the sample space is denoted with an uppercase S. An event is any combination of outcomes. It is a subset of the sample space, so uppercase letters like A and B are commonly used to represent events. For example, if the experiment is to flip three fair coins, event A might be getting at most one head. The probability of an event A is written P(A), and means the event A can never happen. P(A) = 1 means the event A always happens. means the event A is equally likely to occur or not to occur.

PDF page 183: If two outcomes or events are equally likely, then they have equal probability. For example, if you toss a fair, six-sided die, each face (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) is as likely to occur as any other face. If you toss a fair coin, a Head (H) and a Tail (T) are equally likely to occur. If you randomly guess the answer to a true/false question on an exam, you are equally likely to select a correct answer or an incorrect answer. To calculate the probability of an event A when all outcomes in the sample space are equally likely, count the number of outcomes for event A and divide by the total number of outcomes in the sample space. This is known as the theoretical probability of A. Theoretical Probability of Event A

PDF page 183: If two outcomes or events are equally likely, then they have equal probability. For example, if you toss a fair, six-sided die, each face (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) is as likely to occur as any other face. If you toss a fair coin, a Head (H) and a Tail (T) are equally likely to occur. If you randomly guess the answer to a true/false question on an exam, you are equally likely to select a correct answer or an incorrect answer. To calculate the probability of an event A when all outcomes in the sample space are equally likely, count the number of outcomes for event A and divide by the total number of outcomes in the sample space. This is known as the theoretical probability of A. Theoretical Probability of Event A

PDF page 183: Theoretical probability is not sufficient in all situations, however. Suppose we want to calculate the probability that a randomly selected car will run a red light at a given intersection. In this case, we need to look at events that have occurred, not theoretical possibilities. We could install a traffic camera and count the number of times that cars failed to stop when the light was red and the total number of cars that passed through the intersection for a period of time. These data will allow us to calculate the experimental, or empirical, probability that a car runs the red light. Experimental Probability of Event A

PDF page 183: Theoretical probability is not sufficient in all situations, however. Suppose we want to calculate the probability that a randomly selected car will run a red light at a given intersection. In this case, we need to look at events that have occurred, not theoretical possibilities. We could install a traffic camera and count the number of times that cars failed to stop when the light was red and the total number of cars that passed through the intersection for a period of time. These data will allow us to calculate the experimental, or empirical, probability that a car runs the red light. Experimental Probability of Event A