Wednesday 30 October 2013

An Introduction To The Fundamentals Of Probability Theory

By Marsha Klein


When people say something will probably happen they generally mean they are guessing what may or may not occur. However there are ways of looking at the seemingly random and learning potential patterns. This is the basic principle behind the fundamentals of probability theory.

A good example is when you toss a coin as there are only a few events that can occur. At some point it will come up heads. Other times it will come up tails. On a few rare occasions the coin will end up landing on the edge, although this will usually eventually result in the coin landing on either heads or tails.

Within this there are certain types of events. Some are what are known as mutually exclusive events. So for example if you toss a coin and it lands heads then it cannot land tails at the same time. Another type of event is what is known as a joint possibility whereby something might happen at the same time. For example it is possible to buy a newspaper at the same time as buying a drink if they are both in the same shop.

This theory studies what on the surface can appear to be random. For example when you toss a coin there are some occasions where it will land on heads and others when it will land on tails. On some very rare occasions it may land on the edge, although usually this will eventually result in the coin landing on one of these sides.

The next thing to consider is the variables involved. It may be different if one person tosses the coin by flicking it and then catching it or if their friend flicks it up and then lets it drop to the floor. Another variable could be the wind if you are tossing coins outside or the air conditioning inside.

The way probability is measure on a scale of 0 to 1. 0 means something that cannot possibly happen while 1 is something that is certain. Most events will usually fall somewhere between the two. The sum of all possible events will always equal one because they are all the things that can potentially happen.

With closer analysis you can then check the patterns of what people eat and when they have it. For example people are more likely to have coffee and something light in the day time, especially if they get a short lunch break at work. In the evening it is more likely to be a full meal or if they are going out with friends they are more likely to get a plate of food to share. Where probability comes in is looking at how many people come in and knowing how much coffee, light snacks, meals or sharing plates you would need to order on those days.

In short the fundamentals of probability theory are potentially very useful. You can find a number of courses and demonstrations online to show how they can apply to a wide number of situations. With the right approach you can learn how mathematics can work for you!




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment