Revision Notes
Class - 11 Maths
Chapter 16 - Probability
● Probability is a numerical measure of the uncertainty of diverse phenomena.
It can range from 0 to 1 a positive value.
● The phrases 'probably', 'doubt’, ‘most probably', 'chances' and so on, all have
an element of ambiguity in them.
no. of favourable outcome
● Probability=
total no. of outcomes
● Approaches to Probability:
i. Statistical approach: Observation & data collection
ii. Classical approach: Only Equal probable events
iii. Axiomatic method: For real-life situations. It has a strong connection to set
theory.
● Random Experiments:
(i) There are multiple possible outcomes.
(ii) It is impossible to know the outcome ahead of time.
● Outcomes: An outcome is a probable result of a random experiment.
● Sample space refers to the set of all possible results of a random experiment.
The letter S stands for it. For example, in a coin toss, the sample space is Head,
Tail.
Each element of the sample space is referred to as a sample point. For
example, in a coin flip, the head is a sample point.
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● Event:
An event is a collection of favourable outcomes.
An event is defined as a subset E of a sample space S . For example, suppose you
get an unusual result when you roll a dice.
● Occurrence of an event:
The occurrence of an event E in a sample space S is said to have occurred if the
experiment's outcome is such that E . We say that the event E did not
happen if the outcome is such that E .
● Types of Event
i. Impossible and Sure Events
ii. Simple Event
iii. Compound Event
● Impossible and Sure Events:
Events that are both impossible and certain are described by the empty set
and the sample space S . The impossible event is denoted by , and the entire
sample space is referred to as the Sure Event.
For example, while rolling a dice, an impossible event is when the number is
greater than 6 and a sure event is when the number is less than or equal to 6.
● Simple (or elementary) event: A simple event has only one sample point of a
sample space.
There are exactly n simple occurrences in a sample space with n different
items. For example, if you roll a dice, a simple event could be receiving a four.
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● Compound Event: A compound event is one in which there are multiple
sample points.
For example, in the case of rolling a die, a simple event could be the event of
receiving a four.
● Algebra of Events:
i. Complementary Event
ii. Event ‘A or B’
iii. Event ‘A and B’
iv. Event ‘A but not B
● Complementary Event
Complementary event to A='not A'
Example: If event A= Event of getting odd number in throw of a die, that is
1, 3, 5 Then, Complementary event to A= Event of getting even number in
throw of a die, that is 2, 4, 6
A'=ω:ω S and A S A (Where S is the Sample Space)
● Event (A or B):
A B is known as the union of two sets A and B , it contains all those elements
which are present in either of the two sets.
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If the sets A and B correspond to two events in a sample space, then ‘A B’ is
the event ‘either A or B or both’. This event ‘A B’ is also called ‘A or B’
Event
● Event 'A and B' :
A B is known as the intersection of two sets A and B , it contains all those
elements which are common in both the two sets. i.e., which belong to both
‘A and B’ . If A and B are two events, then the set A A B denotes the event
‘A and B’ .
Thus, A B = {ω : ω A and ω B}
● Event 'A but not B'
A–B is the set of all those elements which are in A but not in B . Therefore, the
set A–B may denote the event ‘ A but not B ’.
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A – B = A B'
● Mutually exclusive events
Events A and B are said to be mutually exclusive if the occurrence of one of
them precludes the occurrence of the other, i.e., if they can't happen at the same
time.
A die is thrown, for example. All even outcomes is event A , and all odd outcomes
is event B . Then A and B are mutually exclusive events, and they cannot happen
at the same time.
A sample space's simple events are always mutually exclusive.
● Exhaustive events:
Sample space contains lot of events together.
Example: A die is thrown.
Event A= All even outcome and event B= All odd outcome. Even A & B
together forms exhaustive events as it forms Sample Space.
● Axiomatic Approach to Probability:
Another way of explaining probability by using axioms are rules is called the
Axiomatic approach.
Let S be sample space of a random experiment. The probability P is a real
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valued function whose domain is the power set of S and range is the interval 0,1
satisfying the following axioms
I. For any event E, P E 0
II. P S 1
III. If E and F are mutually exclusive events, then P E F P E P F
It follows from (III) that P =0 . Let F= and E= be two disjoint events,
P E P E P or P E P E +P i.e P =0
Let S be a sample space containing outcomes 1 , 2 ,....n i.e., S 1 , 2 ....., n
then
I. 0 P i 1 for each ωi S
II. P 1 P 2 .... P n 1
III. For any event E,P E P i , i A
IV. P 0
● Probabilities of equally likely outcomes:
1
Let P ωi = p , for all ωi S where 0 p 1 , then p where n= number of
n
elements.
Let S be a sample space and E be an event, such that n S =n and n E m . If
m
each outcome is equally likely, then it follows that P E =
n
Number of outcomes favourable to E
Total possible outcomes
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● Probability of the event ‘ A or B’ :
P(A B) = P A + P B - P A B
● Probability of the event ‘A and B’ :
P A B = P A + P B - P A B
● Probability of the event ‘Not A ’
P A' = P not A = 1 – P A
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