Lecture Three Flashcards
What is probability
A number between 1-0 that measures the likelihood that some event will occur.
what does 0 mean in terms of probability
more unlikely the event is bound to happen
what does 1 mean in terms of probability
it is very likely to happen
why is probability used
Because as humans and businesses, it is difficult to be certain about occurrence of future events - therefore businesses are able to use probability to make the best possible decisions
How to work out the probability
The outcome/all possible outcomes
What is a random experiment
process leading to two or more possible outcomes WITHOUT knowing exactly WHICH OUTCOME WILL OCCUR
what is the basic outcome
all the possible outcomes/realisations that could happen of a random experiment
e.g. a coin: heads or tails
a dice: 123456
Can wo basic outcomes occur simultaneously?
No
What must the random experiment do?
Lead to one of the basic outcomes
What is the sample space
A set of all basic outcomes
contains all the possible items including the items that cannot happen.
What is the symbol for a sample space
Ω
What is an event
a subset of basic outcomes from the sample space
When does an event occur?
If the random experiment results in one of its constituent basic outcomes
What is the nuff event
Represents the absence of a basic outcome
What is the nuff statement denoted by?
0
What is an independent event
each event is NOT affected by other events
(e.g. tossing a coin and getting head will always be the same probability 1/2)
What is a dependant event
An event affected by other events - it is conditional
What is an example of a mutually exclusive event
events cannot occur at the same time
e.g. heads and tails are mutually exclusive.
What is a random variable
a variable that takes on numerical values realized by the outcomes in the sample space generated by a random experiment
-a variable u can use but u dont know the value of the variable at the END of the period
an example of the random variable
return. u don’t know what return ur going to get at the end of the time period - u just make assumptions that it’ll be a positive return, but there’s no way of being certain
What is a discrete random variable
a variable that takes on a countable number of values
What is a continuous random variable
one for which there are infinite possible outcomes between a range - the probabilities cannot be attached to specific outcomes
Describe how the continuous and discrete random variables will be displayed on a graph
Discrete will have lots of spaces between each data point - continuous wont
What does PDF stand for?
Probability Distribution Function