Probability in Everyday Life

Before starting this chapter I never realized how much our society uses probability in our everyday lives. The obvious is in sports, especially if you like to gamble or play in fantasy football leagues. We also use probability in board games. One great example is twister. There is a spinner with four different colors and whichever color you land on you place a body part on that color. Every color has a 25 percent chance of being landed on. Another way we use probability is the weather. People have to plan around the weather; people don't want to have a barbeque on a weekend when there is a fifty percent chance of rain.

            Another way we use probability in our everyday lives is with insurance premiums. Companies look at your driving record and age when they are deciding your rate. Medical decisions are also based on probability if you need surgery, you'll want to know the success rate of the operation. Based upon the statistics, you can make an informed decision whether or not it's a good choice for you. One last example is life expectancy. Age groups are used as guidelines by financial advisers to help clients prepare for their retirement years.  We use probability in so countless ways.

http://www.ehow.com/list_7719506_real-life-probability-examples.html

Probability can be fun!

My Math Lab is such a awesome tool! It is a great way for students to practice the math they are being taught. One aspect that I really like is that you know if you got the aanswere correct. If it is wrong it has the tools to show you where and error was made and walk you through the entire process. I like this so much more than turning in a piece of paper and hoping the answere is correct.
Some of the questions can even be fun! I did this problem the other night and thought it was so cool I wanted to share it.


A box contains 8 letters, Shown as CHARTING. What is the probability of the outcome CHAIN in that order if 5 letters are drawn one by one? With Replacement? Without replacement?

Now there are 8 letters in CHARTING so each letter has a one in eight chance of being drawn in that order
There are 5 letters in the word CHAIN
So Multiply 1/8 five times
1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 = 1/32768

Got it?
Let's try this now without replacement. C has a 1/8 chance, H has a 1/7 chance, A has a 1/6 chance, I has a 1/5 chance and, N has a 1/4 chance. Now multiply

1/8 x 1/7 x 1/6 x 1/5 x 1/4 = 1/6720

Wasn't that fun! Go show someone else and I bet they will love it. Who knew probability could be fun?

Another Look at Tree Diagrams

Now that we have taken a look at tree diagrams lets practice on using one without replacement. These can be a little harder so pay close attention.

We have 3 Blue balls and 4 Red balls. We will set it up just as before. However this time when one is used it is not replaced back with the other balls. So if one blue ball is drawn then there are only two left in the group and four red remain.
If a red is drawn first there are still three blue and now there are 3 red still in the  group.
We can now figure out the probability.

Lets start by multiplying three sevenths and two sixths,this results in a one in three chance
now multiply three sevenths and four sixths,a two in three chance
Next multiply four sevenths and three sixths, a one in two chance
And lastly four sevenths and three sixths, a one in two chance



See that wasn't too bad :)

Let's Do Tree Diagrams

One Tool Used in Probability is a tree diagram. There are two types of tree diagrams the first is a diagram with replacement. The second type is a diagram without replacement. Today we will be working on a tree diagram with replacement.
Ready? Let's get started......

Lets say you have three balls, one blue and two red. So we draw two sepaarate lines to show the two possibilities.







 So if a red is pulled out  and there is still a two third chance of pulling another red. If a blue is pulled out there is a one third chance it will be pulled out again.

Now let us work on the second line. If a blue is pulled pulled first and then replaced it had a one third chance. It then has a two third chance of a red being pulled next and a one third chance of a blue being pulled again.

Still with me?
Now to figure out the probability
Look at your diagram you have created and multiply....yes it is that simple
Okay so
The probability of getting two reds in a row is two thirds multiplied by two thirds so four ninths.
next the probability of pulling a red then a blue is two thirds multiplied by one third which equals two ninths the same goes for pulling a red and then a blue.
Lastly the probability of pulling out two blue balls is one third multiplied by one third which equals one ninth.
Tah Dah! You just did Probability! WOOHOO!!!

Tips and tricks for teaching your students probability

Probability is a difficult math concept to teach your students. They can quickly become lost and confused. When it comes to teaching these concepts simple is best. It is also very important to keep the lesson fun. Your students will relate to a game. Today the internet has so many resources for teachers to use to aid them in the classroom. Take advantage of these resources and have fun!

So what exactly is Probability? Probability is the chance that something will happen. So a great way to introduce this is money. Everyone relates to money and when a coin is tossed there are only two possible outcomes. Those two options are heads or tails. Therefore we can determine that the probability of landing on heads is one half. The probability of landing on tails is one half.

Check out this awesome video of a teacher teaching these concepts with candy

Resources: mathgoodies.com

All About Me

---

  
      Welcome to my blog! My name is Heidi and I am an aspiring teacher. Teaching is such a rewarding career they teach the future doctors, lawyers and presidents. They are shaping our future generations and we would be lost with out them. This is a large responsibility being placed on their shoulders, which is why teachers need a strong foundation in common core.

   Math is like love; a simple idea, but it can get complicated. Math has always been a rough subject for me which is why I enjoy taking math for elementary school teachers. It challenges me and aids me in becoming a better teacher. I want to be the best teacher I can be for my future students.  I am excited to be documenting my growth over the semester in the form of a blog.