Use the table to answer the question.

The table presents the frequency of occurrences for numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 when Jade tossed a cube.
Outcomes 2 4 6 8 10 12
Frequency 10 9 6 15 13 8
Jede tossed a cube with faces numbered with 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. The results are recorded in the table. What outcome value is the largest discrepancy between the experimental and the expected probability of this experiment? 

1 answer

To determine which outcome has the largest discrepancy between the experimental and expected probabilities, we first need to calculate both probabilities for each outcome.

  1. Calculate the total number of outcomes (tosses): \[ \text{Total Frequency} = 10 + 9 + 6 + 15 + 13 + 8 = 61 \]

  2. Calculate the experimental probability for each outcome: The experimental probability is calculated as the frequency of each outcome divided by the total number of outcomes:

    • For 2: \[ P(2) = \frac{10}{61} \approx 0.1639 \]
    • For 4: \[ P(4) = \frac{9}{61} \approx 0.1475 \]
    • For 6: \[ P(6) = \frac{6}{61} \approx 0.0984 \]
    • For 8: \[ P(8) = \frac{15}{61} \approx 0.2459 \]
    • For 10: \[ P(10) = \frac{13}{61} \approx 0.2131 \]
    • For 12: \[ P(12) = \frac{8}{61} \approx 0.1311 \]
  3. Determine the expected probability for each outcome: Since each outcome on the cube is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, and assuming the cube was fair, the expected probability for each would be: \[ P(\text{each outcome}) = \frac{1}{6} \approx 0.1667 \]

  4. Calculate the discrepancies: Now we will calculate the absolute discrepancy for each outcome, which is the absolute value of the difference between the experimental probability and the expected probability:

    • For 2: \[ \left| P(2) - P(\text{expected}) \right| = \left| 0.1639 - 0.1667 \right| \approx 0.0028 \]
    • For 4: \[ \left| P(4) - P(\text{expected}) \right| = \left| 0.1475 - 0.1667 \right| \approx 0.0192 \]
    • For 6: \[ \left| P(6) - P(\text{expected}) \right| = \left| 0.0984 - 0.1667 \right| \approx 0.0683 \]
    • For 8: \[ \left| P(8) - P(\text{expected}) \right| = \left| 0.2459 - 0.1667 \right| \approx 0.0792 \]
    • For 10: \[ \left| P(10) - P(\text{expected}) \right| = \left| 0.2131 - 0.1667 \right| \approx 0.0464 \]
    • For 12: \[ \left| P(12) - P(\text{expected}) \right| = \left| 0.1311 - 0.1667 \right| \approx 0.0356 \]
  5. Identify the largest discrepancy: The discrepancies are:

    • For 2: 0.0028
    • For 4: 0.0192
    • For 6: 0.0683
    • For 8: 0.0792
    • For 10: 0.0464
    • For 12: 0.0356

The largest discrepancy is for the outcome 8, with a discrepancy of approximately 0.0792.