Classify the statement as an example of classical probability, empirical probability, or subjective probability. The probability that a newborn baby is a boy is 1/2.

This article aims to determine the category of a given statement and whether the given statement is an example of empirical, classical, or subjective probability. This article uses the concept of three types of probabilities. Classical probability Classical probability can only be used if a finite number of possibilities have the same probability. As such, it isn’t easy to find classic examples of probability in real life because most things in life do not have the same probability. You use classical probability when you’re guessing on a multiple-choice test. Let’s say you have four choices: $ A $, $ B $,$ C $, and $ D $. Each choice in the question has an equal chance of being correct, meaning you have a  $ 25\% $ chance of getting the question right. Subjective probability Subjective probability is based on your belief. For example, you can “feel” a lucky streak. Empirical probability Empirical probability is based on experiments. You physically perform experiments and calculate a probability from your results.

Expert Answer

The given statement is “The probability that a newborn baby is a boy is $ \dfrac { 1 }{ 2 } $”. Classical Probability If each result in the sample space is equally likely to occur, then it is a classical probability. Empirical Probability Empirical probability is based on observations obtained from probability experiments. Empirical probability of an event is the relative frequency of the occurrence. Subjective Probability Probabilities result from intuition, educated guesses, and guesswork, and the probability is called subjective probability. Here, the claim is most likely based on empirical probability. Thus, the statement “The probability that the newborn is a boy is $ \dfrac { 1 } { 2 } $ ” is an example of an empirical probability.

Numerical Result

The statement “The probability that the newborn is a boy is $ \dfrac { 1 } { 2 } $ ” is an example of an empirical probability.

Example

Classify given statement as an example of classical, empirical, or subjective probability. The probability that the number is $ 6 $ when we roll a fair die is $ \dfrac { 1 } { 6} $. (a) classical (b) empirical (c) subjective Solution The given statement  “The probability that the number is $ 6 $ when we roll a fair die is $ \dfrac { 1 } { 6 } $” is an example of classical probability. Classical Probability Classical probability is a statistical concept that measures the probability (likelihood) that something will happen. In the classical sense, every statistical experiment will contain elements that are equally likely to happen (equal chances of something occurring). Therefore, the concept of classical probability is the simplest form of probability that has an equal probability of something happening. Like when we toss a coin, the chances of a head or tail are equally likely. Hence the given statement “The probability that the number is $ 6 $ when we roll a fair die is $ \dfrac { 1 } { 6 } $.” is an example of classical probability.

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