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Section 11-8
Geometric Probability
probability
• The chance or likelihood
that an event will occur.
- It is always a number between
zero and one.
- It is stated as a fraction, decimal,
or percent.
• A Probability of Zero is
saying that there is no
chance of it happening.
•A Probability of One is
saying that the event will
always happen.
If the event doesn’t occur every
time, or none of the time, then
we use this formula to
determine the probability:
P (event) = # favorable outcomes
# total possible outcomes
Geometric probability
• Uses lengths and areas to
solve probability problems
Example #1
Suppose a point P on AF is
picked at random. What is the
probability that P is on CF ?
A
B
C
D
CF 3

P
AF 5
E
F
Example #2
At a carnival game, dishes are
positioned on a table so that they do not
overlap. You win a prize if you throw a
nickel that lands in a dish. If the area of
the table is 1.5 m2 and the combined
area of the dishes is 1 m2, what is the
probability that the nickel will not land in
a dish?
1
1.5  1 0.5
P


1.5
1.5 3