Concept of Probability

Master the Concept of Probability for CBSE Class 11 Applied Mathematics with comprehensive theory, solved examples, and practice exercises.

Basic Definitions in Probability

Probability measures the likelihood of an event occurring, defined as the ratio of favorable outcomes to the total number of equally likely outcomes in a sample space. A sample space S is the set of all possible outcomes of a random experiment. For an event E ⊂ S, the probability P(E) always lies in the interval [0, 1].

P(E) = n(E) / n(S)
Example: Solved Example: Rolling a Die
Show Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Identify sample space S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}, so n(S) = 6.
Step 2: Let E be the event of getting an even number, E = {2, 4, 6}, so n(E) = 3.
Step 3: Calculate P(E) = 3/6 = 0.5.
Answer: 0.5

Properties of Probability

The probability of an impossible event is 0, and the probability of a sure event is 1. For any two events A and B, the probability of the union is given by the Addition Theorem. This theorem accounts for the overlap between events to avoid double counting.

P(A ∪ B) = P(A) + P(B) − P(A ∩ B)
Example: Solved Example: Using Addition Theorem
Show Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Given P(A) = 0.4, P(B) = 0.3, and P(A ∩ B) = 0.1.
Step 2: Apply P(A ∪ B) = 0.4 + 0.3 − 0.1.
Step 3: Calculate 0.7 − 0.1 = 0.6.
Answer: 0.6

Complementary Events

The complement of an event E, denoted by E' or Eᶜ, represents the event that E does not occur. The sum of the probability of an event and its complement is always 1. This property is useful for calculating probabilities of 'at least one' type problems.

P(Eᶜ) = 1 − P(E)
Example: Solved Example: Finding Complement
Show Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Given P(E) = 0.25.
Step 2: Use the formula P(Eᶜ) = 1 − 0.25.
Step 3: Calculate 1 − 0.25 = 0.75.
Answer: 0.75