Page 194 - Probability Demystified

CHAPTER 10 Simulation 183

PRACTICE

Use simulation to estimate the answer.
2
1. A basketball player makes of his foul shots. If he has two shots, find
3
the probability that he will make at least one basket.
2. In a certain prize give away, you must spell the word ‘‘BIG’’ to win.
Sixty percent of the tickets have a B, 20% of the tickets have an I,
and 20% of the tickets have a G. If a person buys 5 tickets, find the
probability that the person will win a prize.
3. Two people shoot clay pigeons. Gail has an 80% accuracy rate,
while Paul has a 50% accuracy rate. The first person who hits the
target wins. If Paul always shoots first, find the probability that
he wins.
4. A person has 5 neckties and randomly selects one tie each work day.
In a given work week of 5 days, find the probability that the person
will wear the same tie two or more days a week.
5. Toss three dice. Find the probability of getting exactly two numbers
that are the same (doubles).

ANSWERS

1. You will roll 2 dice. A success is getting a 1, 2, 3, or 4, and a miss
is getting a 5 or 6. Perform the experiment 50 times, tally the
successes, and divide by 50 to get the probability.
2. You can roll a dice 5 times or 5 dice at one time. Count 1, 2, or 3 as
a B, count 4 as an I, and count 5 as a G. If you get a six, roll the
die over. Perform 50 experiments. Tally the wins (i.e., every time you
spell BIG); then divide by 50 to get the probability.
3. Roll a die. For the first shooter, use 1, 2, and 3 as a hit and 4, 5, and 6
as a miss. For the second shooter, use 1, 2, 3, and 4 as a hit and 5 as
a miss. Ignore any sixes.
4. Use the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on a die to represent the ties.
Ignore any sixes. Roll the die five times for each week and count
any time you get the same number twice as selecting the same tie
twice.
5. Roll three dice and count the doubles.