Common Core: High School - Statistics and Probability

Explore the principles of statistics and probability, equipping high school students with essential skills for data analysis and informed decision-making.

Advanced Topics

Probability Rules and Compound Events

Combining Probabilities

Many situations involve more than one event. We use rules to find the probability of several events happening together or separately.

Addition Rule

If events A and B can't happen at the same time (mutually exclusive):

\[ P(A \text{ or } B) = P(A) + P(B) \]

Multiplication Rule

If events A and B are independent (one doesn't affect the other):

\[ P(A \text{ and } B) = P(A) \times P(B) \]

Real-World Examples

These rules help us make decisions in games, genetics, and even computer science.

Examples

  • Calculating the chance of drawing a red card OR a king from a deck of cards.

  • Finding the probability of flipping heads twice in a row with a fair coin.

In a Nutshell

Probability rules help us figure out the chances of combined events.