Probability worksheet — GCSE Higher

1.The probability that Leo wakes up before his alarm is 0.35. The probability that his younger sister wakes up before her alarm, independently of Leo, is 0.28. Work out the probability that neither of them wakes up before their alarm.

2.Kwame flips a fair coin three times and writes down what it lands on each time. Work out the probability that it lands on heads all three times.

3.On Amelia's walk to school there are two sets of traffic lights. The probability that the first set is green when she reaches it is 0.4. The probability that the second set is green when she reaches it is 0.5. The two sets work independently of each other. Work out the probability that both sets are green.

4.A Venn diagram shows two sets, P and Q, inside a universal set. n(P) = 34, n(Q) = 27, n(P ∩ Q) = 11, and n(ξ) = 90, where ξ is the universal set. Work out n((P ∪ Q)′), the number of elements in neither P nor Q.

5.A fair coin is flipped and a fair five-sided spinner, labelled 1 to 5, is spun. All the outcomes are listed as pairs, such as (H, 3). Work out the probability that the outcome is a tail and an odd number.

6.In a survey, 120 adults were asked whether they have a driving licence. 70 of the adults are women and 50 are men. 45 of the women and 35 of the men have a driving licence. One of the adults who has a driving licence is picked at random. Work out the probability that this adult is a man.

7.Two events are independent. The first has probability 2/5 and the second has probability 1/3. Work out the probability that both events happen.

8.Two ordinary fair dice are rolled and the two scores are added together. Given that the total is an even number, work out the probability that the total is 8.

9.A student is estimating the probability that a spinner lands on red. In her first 85 spins it landed on red 34 times. She then spins it 165 more times, and in those it lands on red 58 times. Work out the best estimate of the probability of red from all 250 spins. Give your answer as a decimal, correct to 3 decimal places.

10.A spinner can land on red, blue, green or yellow. The probability that it lands on red is 0.24 and the probability that it lands on yellow is 0.16. The probabilities of landing on blue and on green are equal, and each is called x. Work out the value of x.

11.A market research company found that, out of 120 shoppers surveyed, 42 preferred paper bags to plastic bags. A supermarket expects 900 shoppers this week. Using this relative frequency, work out how many of the 900 shoppers would be expected to prefer paper bags.

12.A fair coin is flipped three times. Work out the probability of getting at least one head.

13.A machine produces bolts. In a sample of 250 bolts, 15 are faulty. Work out the relative frequency of a bolt being faulty, giving your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.

14.Two fair six-sided dice are rolled and the two scores are added together. Given that at least one of the dice shows a 5, work out the probability that the total is 8.

15.A = {factors of 12} and B = {factors of 18}. Work out n(A ∩ B), the number of elements in both sets.