Probability

Union and Intersection of events

🎯Target outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the learners are expected to:

🧑‍🏫 Abstraction
Probability means possibility. It is a branch of mathematics that deals with the occurrence of a
random event. The value is expressed from zero to one. Probability has been introduced in Maths
to predict how likely events are to happen. The meaning of probability is basically the extent to
which something is likely to happen.

Terms commonly used in probability:

Term Definition Example

Sample Space The set of all the possible 1. Tossing a coin, Sample Space (S) =
outcomes to occur in any trial {H,T}
2. Rolling a die, Sample Space (S) =
{1,2,3,4,5,6}

Experiment or A series of actions where the The tossing of a coin, Selecting a card from
Trial outcomes are always uncertain. a deck of cards, throwing a dice.

Event It is a single outcome of an Getting a Heads while tossing a coin is an

experiment. event.

Outcome Possible result of a T (tail) is a possible outcome when a coin is

trial/experiment tossed.

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Simple Event
Simple events are the events where one experiment happens at a time and it will be having a
single outcome. The probability of simple events is denoted by P (E) where E is the event. The
probability will lie between 0 and 1.

For example, tossing of coin and rolling a die is a simple event.

The probability of a simple event: If each of the outcomes in a sample space is

equally likely to occur, then the probability of an event E, denoted as P(E) is given by

𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑟

𝑃(𝐸) = 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠

Example 1
The probability of getting a 3 when a die is tossed.

SInce the sides of a die consist of 6 faces from 1 to 6. Then, our sample space is:

S = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

If E be the event of getting a 3 when a die is tossed.

E={3}

P(E) = 1/6

In the case of a simple event, the numerator (number of favourable outcomes) will be 1.

Example 2

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 The probability of drawing the ace of hearts from a deck of cards.

In a standard deck of 52 playing cards, there is only one ace of hearts. Therefore, the
probability of drawing the ace of hearts from a deck of cards can be calculated using
the formula:

{𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠}

P(Ace of Hearts) = {𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠}

In this case:

- Number of favorable outcomes (drawing the ace of hearts) = 1

- Total number of possible outcomes (total number of cards in the deck) = 52

So, the probability is:

1
P (Ace of Hearts) = 52

Therefore, the probability of drawing the ace of hearts from a standard deck of cards
1
is 52
.

Compound event

If an event has more than one sample point, it is termed as a compound event. The
compound events are a little more complex than simple events. These events involve the
probability of more than one event occurring together. The total probability of all the outcomes
of a compound event is equal to 1.

Here are a few examples of compound events:

1. Rolling a Die:

- Simple Event A: Getting an even number (2, 4, or 6)

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 - Simple Event B: Getting a number greater than 3 (4, 5, or 6)

- Compound Event: Getting an even number AND a number greater than 3

2. Coin Toss:

- Simple Event A: Getting a head

- Simple Event B: Getting a tail

- Compound Event: Getting either a head OR a tail

Compound events involve considering the occurrence of two or more simple events
together, and the probability of a compound event is determined by the probabilities of its
individual simple events.

Example 3

The probability of rolling an even number on a die and then tossing a head on a coin.

1. Event A: Rolling an Even Number on a Die

3
P(even number) = 6 because there are three even numbers (2, 4, 6) out of six possible

outcomes on a standard six-sided die.

2. Event B: Tossing a Head on a Coin

1
P(head) = 2
since there are two possible outcomes (head or tail) on a fair coin, and one of

them is a head.

Compound Event: Rolling an Even Number and Tossing a Head

P(even number and head) = P(even number)× P(head)

3 1 3
Substituting the given probabilities: 6
× 2
= 12

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 3
The probability of rolling an even number on a die and then tossing a head on a coin is 12
or
1
simplified to 4
.

Example 4

The probability of tossing three coins and getting at least 2 heads.

To calculate the probability of getting at least 2 heads when tossing three pennies, we can
consider all the possible outcomes and then determine the favorable outcomes.

When tossing three coins, each coin can either land heads (H) or tails (T). The possible outcomes
are:

1. HHH 5. HTT

2. HHT 6. THT

3. HTH 7. TTH

4. THH 8. TTT

Out of these eight possible outcomes, six of them have at least two heads: HHH, HHT, HTH,
THH, HTT, and THT.

So, the probability of getting at least 2 heads is the number of favorable outcomes divided by the
total number of possible outcomes:

{𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠}

P(at least 2 heads) = {𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠}

6 3
P(at least 2 heads) = 8
= 4

3
Therefore, the probability of getting at least 2 heads when tossing three pennies is 4

Probability, a branch of mathematics, assesses the likelihood (ranging from 0 to 1) of events in

random occurrences. Key terms include Sample Space, Experiment, Event, Outcome, and Simple

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Event. Simple event probability (P(E)) is determined by dividing favorable outcomes by total
possible outcomes.

Compound events involve multiple simple events, with their probability calculated by combining
individual event probabilities. For instance, rolling an even number on a die and tossing a head
on a coin involves multiplying the probabilities of each event.

✍️Utilization of learning
Instruction: Find the probability of each event. Express each probability as a fraction in simplest
form.

A. One of these names is to be drawn from a hat. Determine each probability below.

Mary Ramil Jan Ranszel Jess John Yesha Lara Joyce Bea

1. P ( 3 letter name)
2. P ( 4 letter name)
3. P ( name starting with letter J)
4. P ( name starting letter R)
5. P ( name start letter B)
6. P ( 7-letter name)
7. P ( name ending with Y)

B. A six-sided letter cube labeled A-F is rolled and spinner is spun.

1. P (3 and F)
2. P (prime number and vowel)

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 3. P (even number and A)
4. P (Odd number and C)
5. P (2 and B)
6. P (G and 1)
7. P (4 and E)

References

BYJU'S. (n.d.). What Are Simple and Compound Events in Probability? BYJU'S.
https://byjus.com/jee/what-are-simple-and-compound-events-in-probability/

MathBits. (n.d.). Probability of Compound Events. MathBits Notebook.

https://mathbitsnotebook.com/Algebra2/Probability/PBCompoundEvents.html

Pebblebrook High School. (n.d.). Unit 8 Probability Worksheet Packet Answer Key. TypePad.
https://pebblebrookhigh.typepad.com/files/unit-8-probability-worksheet-packet-answer-key.pdf

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