You flip a coin twice.

What is the probability of getting heads and then getting tails?

Write your answer as a percentage rounded to the nearest tenth.

%

1 answer

To find the probability of getting heads on the first flip and tails on the second flip, we can analyze the outcomes of two independent coin flips.

  1. The probability of getting heads (H) on the first flip is \( \frac{1}{2} \).
  2. The probability of getting tails (T) on the second flip is also \( \frac{1}{2} \).

Since the two flips are independent events, the combined probability of both outcomes happening in sequence (heads first, then tails) is:

\[ P(H \text{ followed by } T) = P(H) \times P(T) = \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1}{4} \]

Now, to convert this probability to a percentage:

\[ \frac{1}{4} = 0.25 \]

To express this as a percentage, we multiply by 100:

\[ 0.25 \times 100 = 25% \]

Thus, the probability of getting heads first and then tails is 25.0%.