Combinations & Probability

Name:

In this course we have covered the basics of the counting principle, permutations, combinations, and probability. This activity will allow you to explore the history of probability, review some terms and concepts, and it will introduce you to Pascals famous triangle and the binomial theorem!!!! In the beginning of each section, there is a link, this is the website where you will find the answers to questions located in that box.

A Brief History
http://www.economics.soton.ac.uk/staff/aldrich/Figures.htm

Name the guy in the picture on the right, and list two of his contributions to mathematics.

Which famous mathematician wrote, Ars Conjectandi (1713), one of the most influential books written on Probability? An important development in probability theory was work on conditional probability, this came about during what time period?

The Counting Principle, Permutations & Combinations

http://www.mathsisfun.com/combinatorics/combinations-permutations.html

What is the formula for combinations WITH repetition? What is the main difference between permutations and combinations? How do you calculate permutations WITH repetition? How do you calculate permutations WITHOUT repetition? How many ways can first and second place be awarded to 10 people? (Include formula and identify your variables!)

What are the different types of notations used for combinations?

If order does not matter and repeats are not allowed what formula/ approach should you use? If order matters and repetition is allowed, what formula/ approach should you use?

Probability

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/maths/handling_data/probability/revision/1/

Fill in the blanks: Probabilities can be written as ____________, decimals or _________________. You can also use a probability scale, starting at ____ (impossible) and ending at ____ (certain).

How do you find the probability of an outcome?

Based on what you have learned, why cant the sum of all of the probabilities of an outcome exceed 1? Is there such a thing as an outcome having a 120% chance of occuring? Explain.

When you repeat an experiment, the result is not always the same, however, if you do a large number of trials what kind of results should you expect?

Sindhu writes the letters of the word 'MATHEMATICS' on separate cards and places them in a bag. She then draws a card at random. What is the probability that Sindhu chooses the letter 'A'?

List two ways to approach this problem and use one of them to solve it: Two coins are tossed, once each. What is the total number of possible outcomes when they land, with either their heads or their tails uppermost?

The Binomial Distribution and the Binomial Theorem

http://stattrek.com/probability-distributions/binomial.aspx

Algebra 2 Standards

18.0 Students use fundamental counting principles to compute combinations and permutations. 1. 19.0 Students use combinations and permutations to compute probabilities. 20.0 Students know the binomial theorem and use it to expand binomial expressions that are raised to positive integer powers. Probability Standards 2.0 Students know the definition of conditional probability and use it to solve for probabilities in finite sample spaces. 4.0 Students are familiar with the standard distributions (normal, binomial, and exponential) and can use them to solve for events in problems in which the distribution belongs to those families.

The binomial experiment consists of n repeated trials and there are exactly two mutually exclusive outcomes of a trial, which are:

2. and the probability of _____________________ is denoted by p. Note: The trials must be ______________________, that is, the outcome on one trial does not affect the outcome on other trials. A _______________________________ is the number of successes x in n repeated trials of a binomial experiment. State the Binomial formaula:

Take a look at Example 1: Suppose a die is tossed 5 times. What is the probability of getting exactly 2 fours? Explain why this has a binomial distribution.

The Binomial Theorem http://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/binomial-theorem.html A binomial is a _______________________ with two terms. The binomial theorem shows what happens when you multiply a binomial by itself (as many times as you want). State the binomial theorem formula:

Explain how this theorem is related to Pascals Triangle:

Expand:

(x+5)4