11. The Multiplication Rule

Independence

I am holding a fair coin. I have tossed this coin many times. What is the probability of getting a head when I toss this coin?

If I now toss the coin 10 times and get 9 heads, what is the probability of getting a head on the next throw?

If this answer is different to your first answer, ask yourself why...why did you not ask about the results of previous throws before giving your first answer?

If your answer remained unchanged then you demonstrated the idea that each event (tossing the coin) is independent of any other toss. This means that the probability of getting a head for each toss is always going to be 0.5

Activities