Question

The probability that Bridget wins in a raffle is given by the expression
p
.
Write down an expression for the probability that Bridget does not win.

Answer 1

Answer:

The subtlety here is one in language. If you were asked to find the probability that you lose the raffle, you'd be correct, just take 1−P(win). However, you are being asked for the odds against winning.

Odds represent the ratio of possible outcomes, they are different from probability. In simple examples, this roughly means that probability is Number of ways to winTotal number of outcomes, whereas odds against are Number of ways to loseNumber of ways to win