Probability is a branch of mathematics that deals with the likelihood of a specific event occurring. It is used to quantify uncertainty and predict the likelihood of future events. In probability, we use mathematical tools to measure the chance of an event happening, ranging from impossible (0) to certain (1).
Key Concepts
Sample Space: The set of all possible outcomes of an experiment. For example, when rolling a six-sided die, the sample space is {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}.
Event: A subset of the sample space. An event can be a single outcome or a combination of outcomes.
Probability of an Event: The likelihood of an event occurring, denoted as P(event). It is a number between 0 and 1, where 0 means the event is impossible and 1 means the event is certain.
Probability Formula: The probability of an event E, denoted as P(E), is calculated as the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the total number of possible outcomes.
Complementary Events: The complement of an event E, denoted as E', is the event that E does not occur. P(E') = 1 - P(E).