Probability is a way of measuring how likely something is to happen. It helps us understand the chances of an event occurring, like flipping a coin and getting heads or pulling a certain coloured counter from a bag.
In mathematics, probabilities can be written as either fractions, decimals, or percentage. Some real-world industries (such as the gambling/betting industry) use slightly different systems.
Theoretical probabilities can be calculated when we know information about an experiment; for example, rolling a fair, normal, six-sided dice would mean each of the outcomes/events (1 to 6) have an equal chance of occurring (
). Experimental probabilities (relative frequency) would be used when such information is not available and so experience is used - for example, the probability of being stopped at a set of traffic lights.
Understanding probability helps us make predictions and decisions in everyday life and in maths!
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