Year 8 - Probability

Exercise 1 Exercise 2
Again, work out the probabilities of the following, but you now no longer need to list the
The set of all possible outcomes is known as the ___________________. outcomes, merely count them.

𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 Event Num Num total Probability

𝑃(𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡) =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 matching outcomes
List out all the possible outcomes given each description, underline or circle the outcomes
outcomes
1 Drawing a Jack from a 4 52 4 1
that match, and hence work out the probability.
pack of cards. 𝑃(𝐽) = =
52 13
2 Drawing a club from a
Event Sample Space Probability pack of cards.
1 Getting one heads and HH, HT, TH, TT 1 3 Drawing a card which is
𝑃(𝐻 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇) =
one tails on the throw 2 either a club or is an even
of two coins. number.
2 Getting two tails after 𝑃(𝑇𝑇) = 4 Throwing two sixes on a
two throws. die in a row.
3 Getting at least 2 𝑃(≥ 2 𝐻) = 5 Throwing an even
heads after 3 throws. number on a die
followed by an odd
4 Getting exactly 2
number.
heads after 3 throws. 6 Throwing three square
5 Rolling a prime numbers on a die in a
number and throwing row.
a head. 7 Seeing exactly two heads
6 In three throws of a in four throws of a coin.
coin, a heads never 8 Seeing the word ‘BOB’
follows a tails. when arranging two
plastic Bs and an O on a
7 For a randomly chosen
sign.
meal with possible
 Seeing the word SHELL
starters Avacado, when arranging a letter
Beans and Cauliflower, S, H, E and two letter Ls
and possible main on a sign.
courses Dog, Escalopes  After shuffling a pack of
or Fish, ending up with cards, the cards in each
neither Avacado nor suit are all together.
Dog.

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Exercise 3 2D sample spaces

Imagine you have four cards numbered 1 to 4, and by considering (a) all Example: I throw two dice and add up the scores. By filling in the sample
possible outcomes and (b) outcomes matching the event described, work space table, determine the probability that:
out the probability of the following, ensuring you use appropriate “P(..) =”
a) My total is 10? 𝑃(𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 10) = ____________
notation.
b) My total is at least 10? 𝑃(𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 > 10) = ____________
Event Matching Total Probability c) My total is at most 9? 𝑃(𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 ≤ 9) = ____________
outcomes Outcomes
One number randomly 2
2 4 𝑃 (𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛) = Second Die
picked being even. 4
+ 1 2 3 4 5 6
The four numbers, when
randomly placed in a line, 1
reads 1-2-3-4
Two numbers, when 2
placed in a line, contain a

First Die
two and a three. 3
Three numbers, when
4
placed in a line, form a
descending sequence. 5
Two numbers, when
placed in a line, give a 6
sum of 5.
When you pick a number
out a bag, look at the
value then put it back,
then pick a number again,
both numbers are 1.
 When you pick a
number from a bag, put
the number back, and do
this 4 times in total, the
values of your numbers
form a ‘run’ of 1 to 4 in
any order.
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Exercise 4 3) After throwing two dice and multiplying the outcomes...

For the following, form an appropriate sample space table, and use the
table to answer the questions.

1) After throwing two fair coins...

a. The product is 6. ________________________

a. The probability of throwing two heads. ___________

b. The product is at most 6. _________________

b. The probability of throwing a heads and a tails.
c. The product at least 7. __________________
_______________
d. The product is odd. _____________________
2) After throwing two fair die and adding the two outcomes...

4) After spinning two spinners, one 3-sided labelled A, B and C, and

one 4-sided labelled A, B, C and D...

a. The total is prime. ________________________

b. The total is less than 4. __________________

a. The letters are both vowels. _________________
c. The total is odd. _________________________

b. At least one letter is a vowel. ________________

c. We see the letters B and C. _________________

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Events and Laws of Probability Exercise 5
An event is _____________________________________ 1. In the following questions, all events are mutually exclusive.
(More formally, it is a subset of the sample space) a. P(A) = 0.6, P(C) = 0.2
P(A’) = _____, P(C’) = _____
If two events are mutually exclusive then
P(A or C) = _____

_____________________________
b. P(A) = 0.1, P(B’) = 0.8, P(C’) = 0.7
P(A or B or C) = _______
and P(A or B) = __________________

𝐴′ means that ____________________ c. P(A or B) = 0.3, P(B or C) = 0.9, P(A or B or C) = 1

P(A) = ______
and 𝑃(𝐴′ ) = _____________________ P(B) = ______
P(C) = ______

Examples: d. P(A or B or C or D) = 1. P(A or B or C) = 0.6

and P(B or C or D) = 0.6 and P(B or D) = 0.45
 A and B are mutually exclusive events and P(A) = 0.3, P(B) = 0.2 P(A) = _____, P(B)= __________
P(C) = _____, P(D) = _________
P(A or B) = ________
P(A’) = _________ 2. All Tiffin students are either good at maths, English or music, but
P(B’) = ________ not at more than one subject. The probability that a student is
good at maths is 1/5. The probability they are are good at English
 C and D are mutually exclusive events and P(C’) = 0.6, P(D) = 0.1 is 1/3. What is the probability that they are good at music?

P(C or D) = ________ _________________________________

 E, F and G are mutually exclusive events and P(E or F) = 0.6 3. The probability that Alice passes an exam is 0.3. The probability
P(F or G)=0.7 (and P(E or F or G) = 1), then that Bob passes the same exam s 0.4. The probability that either
pass is 0.65. Are the two events mutually exclusive? Give a
P(F) = ______ reason.
P(E) = ______
P(G) = ______ ___________________________________________________

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 4. The following tables indicate the probabilities for spinning 6.  P(A or B or C) = 1.
different sides, A, B, C and D, of an unfair spinner. Work out 𝑥 in P(A or B) = 4𝑥 − 0.1 and 𝑃(𝐵 𝑜𝑟 𝐶 ) = 4𝑥. Determine expressions
each case. for P(A), P(B) and P(C) and hence determine the range of values
for 𝑥.
A B C D [Hint: think how you did this in Q1c. Now just use the same method, but
0.1 0.3 𝑥 𝑥 algebraically!]

𝑥 = _______________

A B C D
0.5 2𝑥 0.2 𝑥

𝑥 = _______________ ____________________________

A B C D
𝑥 2𝑥 3𝑥 4𝑥

𝑥 = _______________

A B
𝑥 4𝑥 + 0.25

𝑥 = _______________

5. I am going on holiday to one destination this year, either France,

Spain or America. I’m 3 times as likely to go to France as I am to
Spain but half as likely to go to America than Spain. What is the
probability that I don’t go to Spain?

______________________

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Experimental vs Theoretical Probability Exercise 6
Theoretical probability _________________________________ 1. An unfair die is rolled 80 times and the following counts are
observed.
_____________________________________________________ a. Determine the relative frequency of each outcome.

Experimental Probability is also known as ___________________ Outcome 1 2 3 4 5 6

Count 20 10 8 4 10 28
and is ________________________________________________ R.F.

b. Dr Bob claims that the theoretical probability of rolling a

𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 = 3 is 0.095. Is Dr Bob correct?

____________________________________________

Examples:
____________________________________________
A) The table below shows the probabilities for spinning an A, B and C
on a spinner. If I spin the spinner 150 times, estimate the number 2. An unfair coin has a probability of heads 0.68. I throw the coin 75
of Cs I will see. times. How many tails do I expect to see?

Outcome A B C
Probability 0.12 0.34 ___________________________________

Answer: ____________ 3. Dr Laurie throws a fair die 600 times, and sees 90 ones.
a. Calculate the relative frequency of throwing a 1.
B) I spin another spinner 120 times and see the following counts:
____________________________
Outcome A B C
Count 30 45 45 b. Explain how Laurie can make the relative frequency
1
closer to a 6.
What is the relative frequency of B?

________________________________
___________________

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 4. The table below shows the probabilities of winning different 7. I throw a fair coin some number of times and the relative
prizes in the gameshow “I’m a Tiffinian, Get Me Outta Here!”. 160 frequency of Heads is 0.45. I throw the coin a few more times and
Tiffin students appear on the show. Estimate how many cuddly the relative frequency is now equal to the theoretical probability.
toys will be won. What is the minimum number of times the coin was thrown?

Prize Cockroach Cuddly Maths Skip Next

Smoothie Toy Textbook Landmark ____________________________________
Probability 0.37 𝑥 0.18 2𝑥

8. I throw an unfair coin 𝑛 times and the relative frequency of

Heads is 0.35. I throw the coin 10 more times, all of which are
______________________________________ Heads (just by luck), and the relative frequency rises to 0.48.
Determine 𝑛.
[Hint: Make the number of heads after the first 𝑛 throws say 𝑘, then
form some equations]
5. A six-sided unfair die is thrown 𝑛 times, and the relative
frequencies of each outcome are 0.12, 0.2, 0.36, 0.08, 0.08 and
0.16 respectively. What is the minimum value of 𝑛?
___________________________________

_____________________________________

6. A spin a spinner with sectors A, B and C 200 times. I see twice as

many Bs as As and 40 more Cs than As. Calculate the relative
frequency of spinning a C.

_____________________________________

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