QuestionWhich of the following statements is an example of experimental probability?
Answer
Keypad
Keyboard Shortcuts
Lucia wants to know the percentage of students who are from her home state, so each day of her first week of classes she asks 40 students where they are from.
Aaron is fishing in a pond that was just stocked with 125 fish, 45 of them being bass. He wants to know how likely it is that the first fish he catches is a bass.
Dominique is wondering how likely it is that the first card drawn from a standard deck of 52 cards will be red.
Cody wants to know how likely it is that he will win the game if he needs to roll five dice of the same number to win.
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
What is this asking? Which statement describes someone finding a probability by doing an experiment instead of calculating it directly? Watch out! Don't confuse experimental probability (actually *doing* something) with theoretical probability (figuring it out with math).
STEP 2
1. Analyze Lucia's approach.
2. Analyze Aaron's approach.
3. Analyze Dominique's approach.
4. Analyze Cody's approach.
STEP 3
Lucia is *actually asking* students where they're from.
This involves gathering data from a real-world experiment, so this is **experimental probability**.
She's doing a survey!
STEP 4
Aaron *could* figure out the probability without fishing.
He knows there are **125** total fish and **45** bass.
STEP 5
The probability of catching a bass first is the number of bass divided by the total number of fish: .
STEP 6
Since Aaron can *calculate* the probability directly, this isn't experimental probability.
STEP 7
Dominique can figure out the probability without drawing any cards.
A standard deck has **52** cards, and half of them (**26**) are red.
STEP 8
The probability of drawing a red card is .
Dominique can *calculate* this directly, so this isn't experimental probability.
STEP 9
Cody could *theoretically* calculate the probability of rolling five dice with the same number, but it's complex.
It's much easier to just roll the dice a bunch of times and see what happens.
STEP 10
If Cody were to *actually roll* the dice many times and record the results, *that* would be experimental probability.
But the problem just says he *wants* to know, not that he *does* it.
So, this also isn't experimental probability.
STEP 11
Lucia's situation is the only example of experimental probability because she is actually conducting an experiment (her survey) to determine the probability.
Was this helpful?
