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Probability

Some things never happen, some always do, and most are in between. Spin, roll and pick to see how likely each one is, then try it 100 times.

How likely is it?

Taking out a yellow ball

⭐ Solved 0
0½1

Pick the word that fits best.

From never to always

0

Impossible

It can never happen.

Unlikely

It happens less than half the time.

½

Even chance

It happens half the time.

Likely

It happens more than half the time.

1

Certain

It will always happen.

🎯

Chance = the ways it can happen, out of all the ways.

Questions and answers

How do you explain probability to children?

Start with words on a line from impossible to certain: impossible, unlikely, even chance, likely, certain. Spinners, dice and bags of coloured balls make it something they can see and count.

How do you work out a chance as a fraction?

Count the ways it can happen and put that on top, then count all the ways and put that underneath. Rolling a 6 on a dice is 1/6; rolling an even number is 3/6, which is the same as 1/2.

Why doesn't an experiment give the exact answer?

Chance tells you what to expect on average, not what will happen each time. Toss a coin 100 times and you'll get about 50 heads, maybe 46 or 54. The more times you try, the closer it usually gets.

What age do children learn probability?

Children use words like likely and impossible at about 7 to 9, compare chances and write them as fractions at about 10 to 12, and run experiments to compare with what they expected at about 11 to 13.