Statistics Lesson 1 Homework Assignment
I.
Define each of the following as classical (C), empirical (E), or subjective (S) probability.
________ a) The probability that it will rain today.
________ b) The probability of rolling a 2 on a die.
________ c) The probability that my lawnmower won’t start at the beginning of the mowing season.
________ d) The probability of drawing an ace from a deck of cards.
________ e) The probability of having at least one car accident in your lifetime.
________ f) The probability of winning the lottery.
II.
Based on the properties of probability, and the formulas for calculating classical and
empirical probabilities, answer the following questions.
________ a) Which of the following are valid probabilities?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
85%
½
156%
1
–7
0
b) You are spinning a roulette wheel with the numbers 1 through 36.
i) What is the sample space? Use set notation to write your answer.
______________________________________________________
ii) What is the subset of the sample space that indicates spinning a multiple of 3? Use
set notation to write your answer.
________________________________
iii) What is the probability that you will spin a multiple of 3? Write your answer as a
fraction, decimal, and percent.
________________________________
iv) What is the probability that you will not spin a multiple of 3? Write your answer as a
fraction, decimal, and percent.
_______________________________
c) If there are 45 diners in a restaurant and 4 order coffee, 10 order tea, and 31 order
soda, what are the probabilities of a diner ordering each? Write your answer as a percent. Round to the
nearest percent.
P[Soda] = __________
P[Coffee] = _________
P[Tea] = __________
What is the sum of these probabilities? ____________
What does this mean? _____________________________________________________
___________ d) Your friend has a drawer full of black t-shirts and white t-shirts. If the probability that
he chooses a black t-shirt at random is 3/5, what is the probability he will choose a white one?
e) You have a small bag of candies. In the bag are 3 red, 4 yellow, 2 green, and 5 blue
candies. What is the probability that you will choose a green candy at random? Write your answer as a
fraction, decimal, and percent.
_______________________________________