A fair coin is tossed three times. What is P(tossing three tails)?

one eighth
one fourth
three eighths
one half

1 answer

To find the probability of tossing three tails when a fair coin is tossed three times, we can follow these steps:

  1. Determine the number of possible outcomes: When a coin is tossed three times, the possible outcomes are \(2^3 = 8\) because each toss has 2 possible results (heads or tails).

  2. Identify the favorable outcome: The only favorable outcome for getting three tails is TTT, which counts as 1 possibility.

  3. Calculate the probability: The probability of an event is given by the formula: \[ P(\text{event}) = \frac{\text{Number of favorable outcomes}}{\text{Total number of outcomes}} \] In this case: \[ P(\text{three tails}) = \frac{1}{8} \]

Therefore, the probability of tossing three tails is one eighth.