Video Transcript
Which of the following may be the probability of an event occurring? A) 41 percent, B) 1.6, C) 31 out of 13, or D) 459 percent.
So since it says which of the following may be the probability of an event occurring, only one of them can actually be a probability. So we have to choose which one. The probability of an event is a number describing the chance that an event will happen. Well, all of our options are numbers. So we need to be a little more specific.
An event that is certain to happen — so will for sure happen — has a probability of one. And one can be written as one or one out of one or 100 percent. An event that cannot possibly happen has a probability of zero. So if it definitely cannot happen, its probability of occurring is nothing; it’s zero, which could be written as zero or zero percent. Now, if there is a chance of an event happening, then its probability must be between zero and one, which is the same thing as between zero percent and 100 percent.
So let’s go through our options and make sure these are between zero and one. Only one of them should be. So A) is 41 percent. 41 percent is indeed between zero percent and 100 percent. So it’s a possibility. B) has value 1.6. That’s larger than one; that is not between zero and one. So it is not a possibility.
C) 31 out of 13: that’s actually greater than one. If we will actually take 31 divide it by 13, we will get a value of 2.39, so again, larger than one, not between zero and one. So this is not an option. And then, lastly, 459 percent, that’s a very large number and definitely over 100 percent and not between zero and 100 percent, therefore leaving only one option to be our final answer.
Therefore, option A) 41 percent will be our final answer.
