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Middle School Archive

Browse Middle School Probability
Stars indicate particularly interesting answers or good places to begin browsing.

See also Middle School Statistics.

Selected answers to common questions:
    Coin tossing.

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Drawing Marbles [02/01/1997]

A jar contains 2 red, 3 blue, and 4 green marbles. Niki draws one marble from the jar, and then Tom draws a marble. What is the probability that Niki will draw a green marble and Tom will draw a blue marble?

Gambler's Fallacy [03/14/2003]

My co-worker prefers to bet the same set of five lottery numbers every time, but I say that the probability is the same if you randomly select any set five numbers for the same period of time. Who is right?

Math Symbol for C [12/15/1997]

I am puzzled by one symbol of typing math. What does the upper case letter C mean? As in (2C1) (3C1) / (47C2) = 6/1081.

Odds Slang for Probability? [02/06/1997]

Is "odds" slang for probability?

Probability of Two Dice Summing to 5 [09/22/2001]

If a person rolls two dice, what is the probability of getting a five as the sum?

Probability: Permutations and Combinations [12/10/2002]

How is probability related to permutations and combinations?

About Probability [6/7/1995]

I am wondering how probability works.

Binomial Experiments [09/05/2003]

How can I explain the binomial distribution to my six grade math class?

Calculating Pi - the Nail Drop Experiment [05/19/1999]

Do you have any information about calculating pi by means of the nail drop experiment?

Coin Flipping [01/26/1998]

How can I figure out the chances of flipping a coin five times with the result T,T,T,H,H?

Defining Probability [4/30/1996]

Is a probability number equal to a percent or a decimal?

Drawing Aces [06/12/1997]

What is the probability that you will pick two aces in a row out of a 52- card deck?

Equally Likely vs. Equally Possible [03/04/2010]

A parent tries to understand her son's homework: "When a baby is born, it is either right-handed or left-handed. Are these possibilities equally likely? Decide and explain...."

Factorial [4/1/1996]

What is factorial?

Finding and Interpreting the Odds of Success [08/04/2004]

What does it mean when you see odds expressed as 5 to 1 (or 5:1)? How do you calculate such odds?

Finding Probability on the Web [5/15/1996]

I need a good history of probability, theory and basic concepts.

Geometric Probability [05/23/2001]

If an arrow is equally likely to hit anywhere inside a circular target that is 3 feet in diameter, what is the probability that it will hit inside a bull's-eye that is 6 inches in diameter?

Getting Two Heads in Four Tosses of a Coin [05/17/2000]

What is the probability of getting two heads on four flips of an unbiased coin?

History of Probability [04/07/1997]

Who first researched probability?

Independent vs. Dependent Events [06/09/2003]

What is the difference between 'independent' and 'dependent' events?

Infinite Probability: A Point on a Line [11/03/2004]

Imagine a line extending infinitely in both directions. A line segment of length 10m has endpoints at point A and point B, both of which are on the line. What is the probability that a randomly chosen point on the line falls on line segment AB?

Lottery vs. Lightning: Shock and Odds [01/09/2011]

A man struck by lightning on four separate occasions wants to know how rare that makes him -- and how such long odds compare with winning the lottery. Doctor Wallace obliges, drawing on data from the National Lightning Safety Institute, and treating the accidents as independent events.

Math in Card Games [10/06/2000]

How is math involved in creating and playing card games?

Monkeys Typing Shakespeare: Infinity Theory [08/05/1998]

Would an infinite number of monkeys typing at random eventually produce the entire works of Shakespeare?

Most Frequently Rolled Number [10/27/1999]

What sum would be rolled most often if two dice, each numbered -3, -2, - 1, 0, 1 and 2, were rolled 100 times?

Penny Toss [12/17/1997]

Three people each toss a penny at the same time. What is the probability that two people get the same side of the penny and the other person gets the opposite side?

Pie Graphs and Probability [09/21/2000]

I don't know how to get probability from a pie graph.

Popsicle Probability [02/27/2003]

There are 9 popsicles: 3 orange, 3 cherry, 3 grape. There are 4 children. What is the probability that all 4 children will get the flavor of their choice?

Probability and Odds [01/05/2008]

What is the difference between giving the probability that something will happen and the odds that it will happen?

Probability and the 'Ways Method' [10/25/2002]

Suppose we roll one six-sided die. What are the possible outcomes? What is the probabiliy of rolling a 4? If we have two dice how many outcomes are there? With two dice what is the probability of rolling a 5?

Probability of Divisibility [06/18/2002]

What is the probability that a randomly selected three-digit number is divisible by 5?

Probability of Even vs. Odd Sums [10/11/2000]

My son believes that addition problems are more likely to have even answers because there are more ways to get an even sum than an odd sum. Can you explain to him why that isn't true?

Probability of Getting your Hat Back [12/9/1995]

There are 5 people with 5 hats. The hats are put into a box. What is the probability that each person will get his or her hat?

Probability of Matching Times on a Clock [09/14/2004]

What is the probability of two different times within the same hour ending in the same last digit, such as 8:13 and 8:43?

Probability of Picking Coins [01/12/2003]

Max has 5 coins in his pocket that total 47 cents. What is the probability that he will reach into his pocket and pull out a dime, and then without replacing it reach in and pull out a quarter?

Probability Problem [6/4/1995]

Given a box with 12 letters, one of which is a D, and 2 are E's. I know the probability of getting a D is therefore 1 out of 2, and E is 1 out of 6. How do I determine the probability of getting a D and then an E, if the D is replaced after being selected?

Probability Question from a Math Test [3/8/1996]

There are 15 homerooms in the school and 20 students in each homeroom. If the principal selects 5 of the homerooms for a pizza party, what is the probability of Mr. Smith's homeroom being selected?

Probability That a Sum Is Divisible by Three [11/04/2009]

How many ways can you choose three numbers from 1-100 whose sum is divisible by three?

Probability Tree Diagrams [8/22/1996]

What are the odds that two children will both be boys, firing once will hit a target, cargoes will arrive ruined?

Randomly Selecting a Card [02/20/1998]

What is the probability that a card randomly selected from a standard deck will be a king and a club?

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