The probability that should occur or what we expect to happen in an experiment is called what?

The probability that should occur or what we expect to happen in an experiment is called what?

• A. Theoretical probability
• B. Experiment
• C. Outcome
• D. Sample Space

Answer: (A)

Think of the prediction we make from the setup of the situation—that is theoretical probability. It’s calculated from the sample space and assumes each outcome is equally likely, giving you the likelihood you expect to see if you could repeat the experiment many times. For a fair coin, the chance of heads is 1/2, which is the theoretical probability. This is different from experimental probability, which comes from actually performing the experiment and tallying results, and it can differ from the prediction due to randomness. An outcome is a single result of one trial, while the sample space is all the possible results of that trial.

Think of the prediction we make from the setup of the situation—that is theoretical probability. It’s calculated from the sample space and assumes each outcome is equally likely, giving you the likelihood you expect to see if you could repeat the experiment many times. For a fair coin, the chance of heads is 1/2, which is the theoretical probability. This is different from experimental probability, which comes from actually performing the experiment and tallying results, and it can differ from the prediction due to randomness. An outcome is a single result of one trial, while the sample space is all the possible results of that trial.