5.8 Geometric Probability

Geometry

Holt, Rinehart, and Winston

 

Obejectives:

* Develop and apply the basic formula for geometric probability

 

The probability of an event:

Definition: Probability is a number between 0 and 1 that indicates the likelyhood that an event will occur. A probability of 0 indicates that an event will not occur. A probability of 1 indicates tht an event must occur.

There are two types of probability, theorectical and experimental.

 

Theoretical Probability:

Theoretical probability can be determined with mathematical precision. It is a fraction whose denominator is the total of all outcomes and the numerator is the outcomes in which the event occurs.

 

Experimental Probability:

Experimental probability can be determined during an experiment.

 

Students can explore different experiments to better understand the difference between theoretical and experimental probability. The following website is a good interactive site for distinguishing between the two types of probability.

Click here.


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