Browse the Topics, Table of Contents, and Index
Follow us:
Twitter Facebook

8.1 Assigning a Measure to Likelihood

8.1 Assigning a Measure to Likelihood
<
>
  • Math Help

    In Example 1, note the different ways that the probabilities can be written.

    • The probability of a meteoroid hitting Earth, 0.75, can also be written as or 75%.
    • The probability of Apophis hitting Earth, 0, can also be written as 0%.
    • The probability of 2000 SG344 hitting Earth, , can also be written as 0.0023 or 0.23%.
    • The probability of 2008 TC3 hitting Earth, 1, can also be written as 100%.
  • Consumer Suggestion

    When meteorologists provide a weather forecast, they are determining how likely a certain weather pattern is to occur within a given time. Typically, forecasts reach a range of 7 to 10 days into the future. For more information on weather forecasting, visit the National Weather Service.

  • Checkpoint Solution
    1. Equally likely to happen or not happen; it is generally considered that there is a 50-50 chance that a given person will be male or female. So, there is a 50% chance that a family's oldest child is a girl.
    2. Unlikely; Assuming there is a 50% chance that a child is a girl, there is a (0.50)(0.50) = 0.25 or 25% chance that both children are girls.
  • Comments (3)

    These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the information on this page is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate copyright. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.
    When posting a comment, you agree to our Terms of Use.

     _    _     ______    ______    _____     _  __  
    | |  | ||  /_   _//  /_____//  |  ___||  | |/ // 
    | |/\| ||   -| ||-   `____ `   | ||__    | ' //  
    |  /\  ||   _| ||_   /___//    | ||__    | . \\  
    |_// \_||  /_____//  `__ `     |_____||  |_|\_\\ 
    `-`   `-`  `-----`   /_//      `-----`   `-` --` 
                         `-`                         
    
    Showing 3 comments
    Subscribe by RSS
    system user
    Jackie (moderator)1 decade ago |
    Would someone be able to guess your PIN code if your ATM card was lost or stolen? Find out in our latest Math in the News post on the andYOU blog: http://www.andyou.com/blog/math-in-the-news/math-in-the-news-pin-codes/
    0
    system user
    Cody (moderator)1 decade ago |
    Have you ever wished there was a way to predict who might win a sporting event? Read our post on andYOU.com to see an article about using probability to predict the outcome of a basketball game.

    http://www.andyou.com/blog/math-in-the-news/math-in-the-news-probability/
    0
    system user
    Ron Larson (author)1 decade ago |
    The goal of Section 8.1 is for you to become familiar with the concept that we assign a measure to the likelihood of an event. This measure is a number between 0 and 1 and it is called the probability that the event will occur.
    0