Probability Model

A certain brand of TV has a 50% chance of being defective. Which model could be used to determine the probability that when a TV is chosen, it will be defective?

• spin a spinner with 50 equal sections

• draw from a bag containing 3 red marbles and 2 green marbles

• flip a coin

• roll a die

Which is the best way to simulate choosing one student out of 12 to be the class president?

• Draw from a bag with 12 blue marbles

• roll a die twice

• spin a spinner with 12 sections

• flip a coin 6 times

A sports bag contains 3 tennis balls, 4 baseballs, and 8 golf balls. Each is equally likely to be chosen. Which of the following models could be used to simulate this situation?

• flipping a coin fifteen times

• spinning a spinner with three equal sections

• choosing from 3 red marbles, 4 yellow marbles, and 8 blue marbles

• rolling a number cube fifteen times

An ice cream parlor offers 15 different flavors of ice cream. Which model could be used to show how many different choices there are?

• spin a spinner with 5 sections

• flip a coin

• spin a spinner with 15 sections

• roll a die and flip a coin

In a certain population of birds, about 40 percent of the birds have a wingspan greater than 10 inches. Biologists studying the birds will create a simulation with random numbers to estimate the probability of finding 1 bird in a sample of 6 birds with a wingspan greater than 10 inches. Which of the following assignments of the digits 0 to 9 will model the population?

• Let the even digits represent birds with a wingspan greater than 10 inches and the odd digits represent birds with a wingspan less than or equal to 10 inches.

• Let the digits 0 and 1 represent birds with a wingspan greater than 10 inches and the remaining digits represent birds with a wingspan less than or equal to 10 inches.

• Let the digits from 0 to 2 represent birds with a wingspan greater than 10 inches and the remaining digits represent birds with a wingspan less than or equal to 10 inches.

• Let the digits from 0 to 3 represent birds with a wingspan greater than 10 inches and the remaining digits represent birds with a wingspan less than or equal to 10 inches.

• Let the digits from 0 to 4 represent birds with a wingspan greater than 10 inches and the remaining digits represent birds with a wingspan less than or equal to 10 inches.

A store is handing out coupons worth 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25% off. Each coupon is equally likely to be handed out. Which of the following models could be used to simulate this situation?

• flipping a coin four times

• spinning a spinner with four equal sections

• rolling a number cube one time

• rolling a number cube four times

A test has 5 multiple-choice questions and each question has 2 possible answers (A or B). Which simulation would you use?

• Draw from a bag containing 5 red and 2 yellow blocks

• Spin a spinner with 5 parts, 2 times

• Flip a coin 5 times

• Roll a die 5 times

The questions on a multiple choice test each have 6 answer choices. Which model can be used to simulate randomly selecting the correct answer on a 20 question multiple choice test?

• rolling a six-sided number cube 6 times

• rolling a six-sided number cube 20 times

• spinning a spinner with 4 equal sized sections 6 times

• choosing 6 marbles in a bag of 20 different colored marbles

A cereal company is placing one of 6 different tickets into its boxes of cereal. If each ticket is equally likely to appear in a box of cereal, which model could be used to simulate the tickets you would find in 50 boxes of cereal?

• a coin that is flipped 50 times

• a spinner that has 4 sections that is spun 50 times

• a number cube that is rolled 50 times

• The numbers 1 - 50 are placed in a hat and then 6 numbers are drawn

Mr. Coffey has a basket full of fruit. Each of the 20 students in his class selects one piece of fruit from the basket without looking and puts it back in the basket. Based on the results shown, what can the students conclude about the probability of selecting an apple?

• There are no apples in the basket.

• There is about a 25% chance a student picks a fruit from the basket.

• It is more likely to pick an apple than it is to pick a pear.

• It is equally likely that a student will pick an apple.