May the odds be ever in your favor.It is a great quote from the Hunger Games novels, but what do they mean?
We use probability every day. It doesn't always have to do with gambling even though that is how it started.
Decisions you make on a daily basis, that you aren't sure what the outcome will be, are also a form of probability. Now you are not doing a calculation
every time you make a decision but you are doing a form of probability called subjective probability. What outfit are you going to wear?
Ever go up to a vending machine and wonder what are the chances that your chips get stuck and you have to kick the machine?
How about the probability of finding love at a karaoke contest? Maybe even finding a date in your math class?
One of the biggest uses of probability in everyday life is the weather! What are the chances its going to snow? Will it hit 70 degrees in November?
There's a 47% chance it is going to rain today. How do meteorologists know that? We also see that probability is commonly used in sports. What are the odds your high school baseball team goes to state?
Coaches use probability to decide the batting order, if a kicker is going to make a 43 yard field goal, and will the goalie stop a penalty shot.
So where did probability start? Who came up with this idea that we need to know the odds of winning or the percentage of success versus the number of trials?
Head on over to the next page to find out who the Fathers of Probability are and who the poor sap is that missed his chance to be known as the Father of probability.
