Video 15

What is probability?

Students will learn the distinction between deterministic phenomena and random sampling. This program introduces the concepts of sample space, events, and outcomes, and demonstrates how to use them to create a probability model. A discussion of statistician Persi Diaconis’s work with probability theory covers many of the central ideas about randomness and probability.

Video 16

Random Variables

This program demonstrates how to determine the probability of any number of independent events, incorporating many of the same concepts used in previous programs. An interview with a statistician who helped to investigate the space shuttle accident shows how probability can be used to estimate the reliability of equipment.