Theoretical Probability
Definition of Theoretical Probability
- It is the likeliness of an event happening based on all the possible outcomes. The ratio for the probability of an event 'P' occurring is
P (event) = number of favorable outcomes divided by number of possible outcomes.
Examples of Theoretical Probability
- From the letters A, E, I, O, U the theoretical probability of selecting the letter E is
.
Solved Example on Theoretical Probability
A coin is tossed on a standard 8×8 chessboard. What is the theoretical probability that the coin lands on a black square?
Choices:
A. 0.5
B. 0.25
C. 0.42
D. 0.6
Correct answer: A
Solution:
Step 1: Theoretical probability = number of favorable outcomes / number of possible outcomes.
Step 2: The probability of the coin lands on the black square is 32.
Step 3: Total number of outcomes = 64.
Step 4: P (event) = 
Step 5: =
= 0.5
Step 6: The theoretical probability that the coin lands on a black square is 0.5.
