Probability: How is the probability of an event defined?

Probability: How is the probability of an event defined?

• A. The ratio of favorable outcomes to total outcomes
• B. The sum of all outcomes
• C. The product of all possible outcomes
• D. The difference between outcomes

Answer: (A)

Probability measures how likely something is by comparing the number of favorable outcomes to the total number of outcomes in the sample space, assuming all outcomes are equally likely. If there are F favorable outcomes among N total outcomes, the probability is F divided by N. For a fair six-sided die, there are six possible results and only one favorable one (the outcome you want), so the probability is 1/6. This value falls between 0 and 1 and can be written as a fraction, a decimal, or a percent. The other ideas describe counts, products, or differences, which don’t express how likely an event is.

Probability measures how likely something is by comparing the number of favorable outcomes to the total number of outcomes in the sample space, assuming all outcomes are equally likely. If there are F favorable outcomes among N total outcomes, the probability is F divided by N. For a fair six-sided die, there are six possible results and only one favorable one (the outcome you want), so the probability is 1/6. This value falls between 0 and 1 and can be written as a fraction, a decimal, or a percent. The other ideas describe counts, products, or differences, which don’t express how likely an event is.