Question

Which of the following arguments are correct and which are not correct? Give reasons for your answer.
(i) If two coins are tossed simultaneously there are three possible outcomes—two heads, two tails or one of each. Therefore, for each of these outcomes, the probability is 1/3
(ii) If a die is thrown, there are two possible outcomes—an odd number or an even number. Therefore, the probability of getting an odd number is 1/2

Answer 1

Answer

(i) The statement is incorrect
Possible events = (H,H); (H,T); (T,H) and (T,T)
Probability of getting two heads = 1/4
Probability of getting one of the each = 2/4 = 1/2

(ii) Correct. The two outcomes considered are equally likely.