5th Grade March Madness Lesson- Probability

MARCH MADNESS LESSON Probability & Statistics What is Probability? How likely something is to happen. Many events can’t be predicted with total certainty. The best we can say is how likely they are to happen, using the idea of probability. Probability of an event happening = Number of ways it can happen Total number of outcomes Probability is the chance that something will happen. It can be shown on a line: Probability Line Unlikely

Even Chance

Certain 1

0 Impossible

Likely

Examples: Toss a Coin When a coin is tossed, there are two possible outcomes:  Heads  Tails We say that the probability of the coin landing H is ½ And the probability of the coin landing T is ½ It’s a 50/50 chance. Throwing a Dice When a single die is thrown, there are 6 possible outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 The probability of any one of them is 1/6. Spinning a Wheel Depending on how many slots are on the wheel, there is a 1 and something chance of landing on a color or number on the wheel. A Deck of Cards There are 52 Cards in a deck (not including Jokers) Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen King Hearts, Spades, Diamonds Clubs Activity: Fill out March Madness Bracket: Sweet 16 Practice Probability with a Worksheet