Question

2. Which of the following experiments have equally likely outcomes? Explain.
(i) A driver attempts to start a car. The car starts or does not start.
(ii) A player attempts to shoot a basketball. She/he shoots or misses the shot.
iii) A trial is made to answer a true-false question. The answer is right or wrong.
(iv) A baby is born. It is a boy or a girl.​

Answer 1

All have equally like outcome as all there are only two possible events and one of them has to occur in each case

Answer 2

Answer:

Ans. (i) In the experiment, “A driver attempts to start a car. The car starts or does not start”, we are not justified to assume that each outcome is as likely to occur as the other. Thus, the experiment has no equally likely outcomes.

(ii) In the experiment, “A player attempts to shoot a basket ball. She/he shoots or misses the shot”, we are not justified to assume that each outcome is as likely to occur as the other. Thus, the experiment has no equally likely outcomes.

(iii) In the experiment “A trial is made to answer a true-false question. The answer is right or wrong.” We know, in advance, that the result can lead in one of the two possible ways – either right or wrong. We can reasonably assume that each outcome, right or wrong, is likely to occur as the other.

Thus, the outcomes right or wrong are equally likely.

(iv) In the experiment, “A baby is born, It is a boy or a girl”. We know, in advance that the outcome can lead in one of the two possible outcomes – either a boy or a girl. We are justified to assume that each outcome, boy or girl, is likely to occur as the other. Thus, the outcomes boy or girl are equally likely.