The spinner below shows

10
equally sized slices. Elsa spun the dial
1000
times and got the following results.
OutcomeWhiteGreyBlackNumber of Spins
498
285
217
Fill in the table below. Round your answers to the nearest thousandth.
(a)Assuming that the spinner is fair, compute the theoretical probability of landing on white.
(b)From Elsa's results, compute the experimental probability of landing on white.
(c)Assuming that the spinner is fair, choose the statement below that is true:
The larger the number of spins, the greater the likelihood that the experimental probability will be close to the theoretical probability.
The smaller the number of spins, the greater the likelihood that the experimental probability will be close to the theoretical probability.
The experimental probability will never be very close to the theoretical probability, no matter the number of spins.

1 answer

To solve this problem, we need to fill in the required probabilities and analyze the statements based on the outcomes of the spinner.

(a) Theoretical Probability of Landing on White

Since there are 10 equally sized slices on the spinner and one of them is white:

\[ \text{Theoretical Probability} = \frac{\text{Number of favorable outcomes}}{\text{Total outcomes}} = \frac{1}{10} = 0.1 \]

(b) Experimental Probability of Landing on White

From Elsa's results, the number of spins that resulted in white is 498 out of a total of 1000 spins. Therefore, the experimental probability is calculated as follows:

\[ \text{Experimental Probability} = \frac{\text{Number of spins landing on white}}{\text{Total spins}} = \frac{498}{1000} = 0.498 \]

(c) Statement Analysis

Now, we examine the statements provided:

  1. The larger the number of spins, the greater the likelihood that the experimental probability will be close to the theoretical probability.
  2. The smaller the number of spins, the greater the likelihood that the experimental probability will be close to the theoretical probability.
  3. The experimental probability will never be very close to the theoretical probability, no matter the number of spins.

The correct statement is:

  • The larger the number of spins, the greater the likelihood that the experimental probability will be close to the theoretical probability.

This is based on the Law of Large Numbers, which states that as the number of trials increases, the experimental probability will converge towards the theoretical probability.

Summary of Answers:

(a) 0.1
(b) 0.498
(c) The larger the number of spins, the greater the likelihood that the experimental probability will be close to the theoretical probability.