Page 77 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Mathematics, 2007

2. Applying Probability
By the end of this course, students will:
2.1 identify examples of the use of probability in the media and various ways in which proba- bility is represented (e.g., as a fraction, as a percent, as a decimal in the range 0 to 1)
2.2 determine the theoretical probability of
an event (i.e., the ratio of the number of favourable outcomes to the total number of possible outcomes, where all outcomes are equally likely), and represent the probability in a variety of ways (e.g., as a fraction, as a percent, as a decimal in the range 0 to 1)
2.3 perform a probability experiment (e.g., toss- ing a coin several times), represent the results using a frequency distribution, and use the distribution to determine the experimental probability of an event
2.4 compare, through investigation, the theoreti- cal probability of an event with the experi- mental probability, and explain why they might differ
Sample problem: If you toss 10 coins repeat- edly, explain why 5 heads are unlikely to result from every toss.
2.5
determine, through investigation using class- generated data and technology-based simula- tion models (e.g., using a random-number
generator on a spreadsheet or on a graphing calculator), the tendency of experimental probability to approach theoretical probability as the number of trials in an experiment increases (e.g., “If I simulate tossing a coin 1000 times using technology, the experimental probability that I calculate for tossing tails is likely to be closer to the theoretical probability than if I simulate tossing the coin only
10 times”)
Sample problem: Calculate the theoretical probability of rolling a 2 on a number cube. Simulate rolling a number cube, and use the simulation to calculate the experimental probability of rolling a 2 over 10, 20, 30, ..., 200 trials. Graph the experimental probability versus the number of trials, and describe any trend.
2.6
interpret information involving the use of probability and statistics in the media, and make connections between probability and
statistics (e.g., statistics can be used to generate probabilities)
DATA MANAGEMENT
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Foundations for College Mathematics
MBF3C