PROBABILITY OF SIMPLE EVENTS

OBJECTIVE:
Students will be able to find the probability of a simple event. Students will be able to understand the distinction between
simple events and compound events.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
(1) How do I find the probability of a simple event?
(2) How can I distinguish between a simple and compound event?

VOCABULARY:
outcome One possible result of a probability.
sample space The list of possible outcomes for a probability event.
random Outcomes that occur at random if each outcome is equally likely to occur.
simple event A specific outcome or type of outcome.
complementary events The events of one outcome happening and that outcomes not happening are complimentary;
the sum of the probabilities of complementary events is 1.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:

Best Buy is having an iPod giveaway. They put all the iPod Shuffles in a bag. Customers may choose an iPod without
looking at the color. Inside the bag are 4 orange, 5 blue, 6 green, and 5 pink iPods. If Maria chooses one iPod at
random, what is the probability she will choose an orange iPod?

WHAT IS A PROBABILITY?
• Probability is the chance that some event will happen.
• It is the ratio of the number of ways a certain event can occur to the number of possible outcomes.

EXAMPLES THAT USE PROBABILITY

a. Dice
b. Spinners
c. Coins
d. Deck of Cards
e. Evens/Odds
f. Alphabet, etc.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
0 ¼ or. 25 ½ 0 r. 5 ¾ or. 75 1
impossible not very likely equally Likely somewhat Likely certain

EXAMPLE 1: ROLL A DICE.

What is the probability of rolling a 4?

EXAMPLE 2: ROLL A DICE.

What is the probability of rolling an even number?

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EXAMPLE 3: SPINNERS
What is the probability of spinning green?

EXAMPLE 4: FLIP A COIN

What is the probability of flipping a tail?

EXAMPLE 5: DECKS OF CARDS

What is the probability of picking a heart?

What is the probability of picking a non-heart?

KEY CONCEPT:
• Probability is the chance that some event will happen
• It is the ratio of the number of ways a certain even can occur to the total number of possible outcomes

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE

A computer company manufactures 2, 500 computers each day. An average of 100 of these computers are returned with
defects. What is the probability that the computer you purchased is not defective?

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