Explain probability to me (and how about some examples)?
Probability is the numerical measure of the chance of an outcome or event occurring. When all outcomes are equally likely to occur, the probability of the occurrence of a given outcome can be found by using the following formula:
probability = number of favorable outcomes/number of possible outcomes
Example 1: What is the probability that on two consecutive rolls of a die the numbers will be 2 and then 3? (A die has sides numbered 1-6).
Since the probability of getting a 2 on the first roll is 1/6 and the probability of getting a 3 on the second roll is 1/6, and since the rolls are independent of each other, simply multiply.
1/6 x 1/6 = 1/36
Example 2: What is the probability of tossing heads three consecutive times with a two-sided fair coin?
Because each toss is independent and the odds are 1/2 for each toss, the probability is
1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/8