Counting

Outcomes

Counting Outcomes
Objectives:
(1) To develop fluency with counting
strategies to determine the sample
space for an event.
Essential Questions:
(1) How can I construct and use a
frequency table (a.k.a. tree diagram)?
(2) How can I use the Fundamental
Counting Principle to find the number
of outcomes?

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Have you ever seen or heard the
Subway
or
Starbucks
advertising
campaigns where they talk about the
10,000 different combinations of ways
to order a sub or drink?

Counting Outcomes
Have you ever seen or heard the
Subway
or
Starbucks
advertising
campaigns where they talk about the
10,000 different combinations of ways
to order a sub or drink?

When companies like these make

these claims they are using all the
different condiments and ways to
serve a drink.

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- These companies can use (2) ideas
related to combinations to make these
claims:

(1) TREE DIAGRAMS

(2) THE FUNDAMENTAL
COUNTING PRINCIPLE

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(1) TREE DIAGRAMS
A tree diagram is a diagram used to show
the total number of possible outcomes in
a probability experiment.

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(2) THE FUNDAMENTAL
COUNTING PRINCIPLE
The Fundamental Counting Principle uses
multiplication of the number of ways each
event in an experiment can occur to find
the number of possible outcomes in a
sample space.

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Example 1: Tree Diagrams.
A new polo shirt is released in 4 different
colors and 5 different sizes. How many
different color and size combinations
are available to the public?
Colors (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow)
Styles (S, M, L, XL, XXL)

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Example 1: Tree Diagrams.
Answer.
Red

Blue

S M L XL XXL

Green

Yellow

S M L XL XXL

S M L XL XXL

S M L XL XXL

There are 20 different combinations.

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Example 1: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
A new polo shirt is released in 4 different
colors and 5 different sizes. How many
different color and size combinations
are available to the public?
Colors (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow)
Styles (S, M, L, XL, XXL)

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Example 1: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
Answer.
Number of
Possible Styles

Number of
Possible Sizes

Number of
Possible Comb.

20

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Tree

Diagrams and The Fundamental

Counting Principle are two different
algorithms for finding sample space of
a probability problem.

However,

tree diagrams work better

for some problems and the
fundamental counting principle works
better for other problems.

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Example 2: Tree Diagram.
Tamara spins a spinner two
times. What is her probability
of spinning a green on the
first spin and a blue on the second spin?

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Example 2: Tree Diagram.
Tamara spins a spinner two
times. What is her probability
of spinning a green on the
first spin and a blue on the second spin?
Green

Blue

Green
Blue
Green
Blue
Only one outcome has green then blue, and there are 4
possibilitiesso the P(green, blue) = or .25 or 25%

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Example 3: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
If a lottery game is made up of three
digits from 0 to 9, what is the
probability of winning the game?

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Example 3: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.

If a lottery game is made up of three digits

from 0 to 9, what is the probability of
winning if you buy 1 ticket?
# of Possible
Digits
10

# of Possible
Digits
10

# of Possible
Digits
x

10

# of Possible
Outcomes
=

1000

Because there are 1000 different possibilities, buying one

ticket gives you a 1/1000 probability or 0.001 or 0.1% chance
of winning.

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Guided Practice: Determine the probability
for each problem.
(1) How many outfits are possible from a pair
of jean or khaki shorts and a choice of
yellow, white, or blue shirt?
(2) Scott has 5 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, and 4
pairs of socks. How many different outfits
can Scott choose with a shirt, pair of
pants, and pair of socks?

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Guided Practice: Determine the probability
for each problem.
(1)

Jean Shorts
Yellow
JSYS1

White
JSWS2

(2) Number
Of Shirts

Khaki Shorts
Blue
JSBS3

Yellow
KSYS4

Number
Of Pants

White
KSWS5

Number
Of Socks

Blue
KSBS6

Number
Of Outfits

60

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Real World Example: The Fundamental
Counting Principle.
How many seven digit telephone numbers
can be made up using the digits 0-9,
without repetition?

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Real World Example: The Fundamental
Counting Principle.
How many seven digit telephone numbers
can be made up using the digits 0-9,
without repetition?

Answer: 604,800 different numbers

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Real World Example: Tree Diagram.
Kaitlyn tosses a coin 3 times. Draw a
picture showing the possible outcomes.
What is the probability of getting at
least 2 tails?

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Real World Example: Tree Diagram.
Kaitlyn tosses a coin 3 times. Draw a
picture showing the possible outcomes.
What is the probability of getting at
least 2 tails?

Answer: P(at least 2 tails) =

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Summary:
- A tree diagram is used to show all of the
possible outcomes, or sample space, in a
probability experiment.
- The fundamental counting principle can
be used to count the number of possible
outcomes given an event that can happen
in some number of ways followed by
another event that can happen in some
number of different ways.

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Summary: So when should I use a tree
diagram or the fundamental counting
principle?
- A tree diagram is used to:
(1) show sample space;
(2) count the number of preferred outcomes.

- The fundamental counting principle can

be used to:
(1) count the total number of outcomes.

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Homework:
-