Probability
Equally likely outcomes
Two outcomes are equally likely when they have exactly the same chance of happening.
How to spot them
Look at the possible outcomes. If each one has the same chance — like the same number of each colour in a bag — then they are equally likely. If there are more of one, they are not equally likely.
Worked examples
A fair coin
- A coin can land heads or tails.
- Each has the same chance.
Answer: Heads and tails are equally likely.
A balanced bag
- A bag has 3 red and 3 blue balls.
- There are the same number of each colour.
Answer: Red and blue are equally likely.
Where you see this in real life
- Flipping a coin to decide who goes first in a game.
- Using a coin to simulate whether a kitten is male or female.
- A spinner split into equal, matching sections.
Key words
- Equally likely
- Outcomes that have the same chance of happening.
- Outcome
- A result that could happen, such as heads or tails.
- Even chance
- Just as likely to happen as not to happen.