Probability

Q. What is probability?
Ans.
Probability is a measure of the likelihood
of an event to occur. Many events cannot be
predicted with total certainty. We can predict only
the chance of an event to occur i.e. how likely they
are to happen, using it.

Probability of event to happen P(E) = Number of

favorable outcomes/Total Number of outcomes
➢Probability is a branch in mathematics that
studied about pattern of chances.

➢ The idea of probability is based on previous

observation.

➢ probability describes what happens over

many, many trials.
Probability Line:

Unlikely Likely
0 1
1/2

0<unlikely>1/2

1/2<likely>1
 Types of events

Equally likely events:

Equally likely events are events that have the
same theoretical probability (or likelihood) of
occurring.
Example:

When we toss an unbiased coin, the probability of

getting a heads is 1/2 and the probability of getting
a tails is 1/2. So, it is an equally likely event
Mutually exclusive events:
When two events (call them "A" and "B") are
Mutually Exclusive it is impossible for them to happen
together:
P(A and B) = 0
"The probability of A and B together equals 0
Example:
the two possible outcomes of a coin flip
are mutually exclusive; when you flip a coin, it
cannot land both heads and tails simultaneously. The
outcomes of a coin flip are mutually exclusive;
a coin cannot land both heads and tails simultaneously.
Complementary events:
In probability theory, the complement
of an event A is the event not A; this
complementary event is often
denoted A’ or Ac
Example:
If our event A is “it rains today,” then the
complement, A’, is the event “it doesn’t rain
today.”
Sure or certain events:
A certain event is certain to occur. If event
A is certain, then P(A) = 1.
Examples:
1. Head or Tail is a certain event connected
with tossing a coin.
2. Face-1 or face-2, face-3, face-4,face-5 and
face-6 is a certain event connected with
throwing a die.
Impossible events:
An impossible event is an event that
cannot happen. E is an impossible event if and
only if P(E) = 0.

Example:
In flipping a coin once, an impossible
event would be getting BOTH a head AND a tail.