Application of Spreadsheets
Application of Spreadsheets
Application of Spreadsheets
SPREADSHEETS
1. BASIC PROBABILITY
2. BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
3. POISSON DISTRIBUTION
BASIC PROBABILITY
The probability of an event can only be between 0 and 1 and can also be written as a
percentage.
The probability of event A is often written as P(A).
If P(A) > P(B), then event A has a higher chance of occurring than event B.
If P(A) = P(B), then event A and B are equally likely to occur.
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
1. Fixed trials
The process under investigation must have a fixed number of trials that cannot be
altered in the course of the analysis.
In the binomial probability formula, the number of trials is represented by the
letter “n.”
An example of a fixed trial may be coin flips, free throws, wheel spins, etc.
2. Independent trials
The other condition of a binomial probability is that the trials are independent of each
other. In simple terms, the outcome of one trial should not affect the outcome of the
subsequent trials.
An example of independent trials may be tossing a coin or rolling a dice. When tossing a
coin, the first event is independent of the subsequent events.
3. Fixed probability of success
In a binomial distribution, the probability of getting a success must remain the same for the
trials we are investigating. For example, when tossing a coin, the probability of getting
successful outcomes is ½ or 0.5 for every trial we conduct, since there are only two possible
outcomes
4. Two mutually exclusive outcomes
In binomial probability, there are only two mutually
exclusive outcomes, i.e., success or failure.
While success is generally a positive term, it can be
used to mean that the outcome of the trial agrees with
what you have defined as a success, whether it is a
positive or negative outcome.
In statistics and probability theory, two events are
mutually exclusive if they cannot occur at the same
time.
Example
Q. If a coin is tossed 5 times, using binomial distribution find the probability exactly 2 heads.
Sol.
According to the problem:
Number of trials: n=5
Probability of head: p= 1/2 and hence the probability of tail, q =1/2 (1-p)
A Poisson distribution is a tool that helps to predict the probability of certain events
happening when you know how often the event has occurred. It gives us the probability of
a given number of events happening in a fixed interval of time.
Example
Q. The average number of major storms in your city is 2 per year. What is the probability that
exactly 3 storms will hit your city next year?