We study the meaning of probability.
Probability is a branch of mathematics that studies the likelihood, or chance, of a phenomenon happening.
A random experiment is a process in which the result cannot be predicated with certainty. The result is called an outcome of the experiment. An experiment is likely to have more than one possible outcome.
A collection of outcomes is called an event. For example, rolling a dice, you get an odd number.
A measure of how likely an event E will take place is called the probability of that event, and it is denoted by P(E). Mathematically, it is defined as:
The probability of an event E, P(E), in a random experiment with equally likely outcomes is:
P(E) = (number of outcomes favorable to event E) / (total number of possible outcomes)
We also distinguish experimental probability from theoretical probability. Experimental probably refers to the probability of an event occurring when an experiment was conducted, as P(E) = (number of times E occurs) / (number of trials).
Theoretical probability, or simply probability, P(E), is determined by noting all possible outcomes theoretically, and determine how likely the given outcome is for the event E. P(E) = (# of outcomes for event E) / (total # of possible outcomes).
Homework:
P58, #7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 14, 15, 16, 21, 23.
