) A basketball player makes 75% of her free throws. She is about to take four free throws in a row.


Which simulation would best represent the probability of her making each free throw?
(4 Points)

Rolling a six-sided die and counting outcomes of 1, 2, 3, or 4 as a made shot.

Flipping a coin, with heads representing a made shot.

Spinning a spinner divided into four equal sections and counting three of them as made shots.

Drawing a card from a standard deck and counting red cards as made shots.

1 answer

To simulate the probability of the basketball player making each free throw with a success rate of 75%, we need to find a method that accurately represents this probability.

  1. Rolling a six-sided die and counting outcomes of 1, 2, 3, or 4 as a made shot: This method would work. There are 6 possible outcomes on the die, where 4 out of those 6 outcomes (1, 2, 3, or 4) represent making a shot, which is about a 66.67% success rate. This is not a perfect match for 75%.

  2. Flipping a coin, with heads representing a made shot: This method would represent a 50% success rate (1 out of 2), which is not suitable for simulating 75%.

  3. Spinning a spinner divided into four equal sections and counting three of them as made shots: This method would give a success rate of 75% (3 out of 4), which matches the player's free throw percentage perfectly.

  4. Drawing a card from a standard deck and counting red cards as made shots: This method represents a 50% success rate (26 red cards out of 52 total), which is not suitable for simulating 75%.

The best simulation to represent the probability of her making each free throw is:

Spinning a spinner divided into four equal sections and counting three of them as made shots.