For most people, probability becomes interesting when you can apply it to a believable situation. Let’s explore the following premise:<\/p>\n
Example 1<\/strong><\/p>\n Around a farm live twelve wild foxes. Eleven are red, but one is white. In the same field of vision, the white one is four times as likely to be noticed as a red one. Assuming the foxes all behave similarly, what is the probability that, out for a walk on the farm, you’ll notice the white one first?<\/p>\n Solution<\/strong>:<\/p>\n If the white fox is four times as noticeable as a red one, the ratio between the likelihood of seeing it and the eleven red ones can be given as 4:11. Some people might call this ratio the odds<\/em> of seeing the white one first.<\/p>\n The 4:11 ratio suggests that in fifteen fox sightings, four will be of the white one. Therefore, the probability<\/em> of seeing the white fox first is 4<\/sup>⁄15<\/sub><\/span>.<\/p>\n Notice that odds and probability, though closely related, are not the same.<\/p>\n I’ve never seen any fox outdoors:)<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n Tan, S. T. Applied Finite Mathematics<\/u>. Boston: PWS-KENT, 1990.<\/p>\n stackoverflow.com<\/a><\/p>\n