Introduction
Chapter Name : Probability |
Sub Topic Code : 104_11_16_01_01 |
Topic Name : Introduction |
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Sub Topic Name : Introduction |
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Introduction
What are the chances of your winning while playing a card game, tossing of a coin, playing dice? Probability theory helps us to calculate the chances of winning.
Pre-Requisites:
Idea about numbers, permutations and combinations, statistics.
Activity:
You put a CD that has 8 songs in your CD player. You set the player to play the songs at random. The player plays all 8 songs without repeating any song. What is the probability that the songs are played in the same order they are listed on the CD?
Real Life Question:
Marie is getting married tomorrow, at an outdoor ceremony in the desert. In recent years, it has rained only 5 days each year. What are the chances that it will rain tomorrow?
Key Words / FlashCards
| Key Words | Definitions (pref. in our own words) |
|---|---|
| Probability | The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1 that indicates the likelihood the event will occur. |
Learning aids / Gadgets
| Gadgets | How it can be used |
|---|
Real life uses :
Probability theory as a branch of mathematics arose in the seventeenth century when French gamblers asked Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat (both well known pioneers in mathematics) for help in their gambling. Probabilities is used to control the flow of traffic through a highway system, a telephone interchange, or a computer processor; find the genetic makeup of individuals or populations; figure out the energy states of subatomic particles; Estimate the spread of rumors; and predict the rate of return in risky investments.
Practical examples around us
| Examples | Explainations |
|---|---|
| Weather forecasting | Meteorologists use probability based on the data collected over the year to forecast the weather. |
| gambling | Gamblers use probability to predict the next number. |
| Statistics | Medical researchers use statistics to establish the likelihood that a drug or treatment will be effective. |
| Opinion Polls | Used to predict which candidate would win the election. |
What you learn in Theory:
What is probability theory?
What you learn in Practice:
How to find the chances of occurring of an event.