April 2026
Beginner
288 pages
5h 34m
English
Content preview from Probability Workbook For Dummies
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Chapter 5
Unraveling Counting Rules
IN THIS CHAPTER
Calculating permutations and probabilities involving them
Calculating combinations and probabilities involving them
Gaining confidence with more complex problems
Probability is the number of ways a certain outcome can occur divided by the total number of possible outcomes of some random process, such as flipping a coin. For example, P(6) when rolling a die is ⅙ because there is one 6 on a die, and there are six total faces on the die. If you roll two dice and you want the total probability of getting a sum of 5, you first figure out the number of ways to get a sum of 5, then divide by the total number of outcomes of two dice 
. The number of ways to get a sum of 5 is four: You can get a 2 and a 3, which sum to 5, or you can get a 3 and a 2, which sum to 5 or you can get 4 and a 1 or a 1 and a 4, which sum to 5. Thus, the probability of getting a sum of 5 when rolling two dice is 4/36.
Figuring certain probabilities involves counting the number of ways to rearrange the desired outcomes when order makes a difference, such as the number ...
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