Curriculum › Grade 7 › Mathematics

Sampling, Comparing Data, and Probability

  • Grade 7
  • Mathematics
  • 7.SP.C.5
  • Statistics & Probability
  • ★ Enrichment

Aligned to 7.SP.C.5 — Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

What this lesson teaches

Probability is a number from 0 to 1 that tells how likely something is, where 0 means impossible and 1 means certain. For equally likely outcomes, it equals the number of favorable outcomes divided by the total. A random sample lets you estimate facts about a whole group.

Worked examples

Example 1

A bag has 2 red and 3 blue marbles, 5 total. The probability of drawing red is 2 out of 5, or 2/5.

Example 2

Roll a fair die. P(even) = 3/6 = 1/2, because 2, 4, and 6 are the three even faces out of six.

Example 3

Probability is always between 0 and 1. P = 0 means impossible, P = 1 means certain; an answer of 5/3 means something went wrong.

Practice questions

  1. What is the probability of rolling a 4 on a fair die?
  2. If a probability is 0, what does that mean?
  3. A spinner has 4 equal parts, one green. What is P(green)?

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Muestreo, Comparación de Datos y Probabilidad

La probabilidad es un número del 0 al 1 que indica qué tan probable es que ocurra algo, donde 0 significa imposible y 1 significa seguro. Para resultados igualmente probables, es igual al número de resultados favorables dividido entre el total. Una muestra aleatoria te permite estimar características de todo un grupo.

Ejemplo 1: Una bolsa tiene 2 canicas rojas y 3 azules, 5 en total. La probabilidad de sacar una roja es 2 de cada 5, o 2/5.

Ejemplo 2: Lanza un dado justo. P(par) = 3/6 = 1/2, porque 2, 4 y 6 son las tres caras pares de seis.

Ejemplo 3: La probabilidad siempre va de 0 a 1. P = 0 significa imposible, P = 1 significa seguro; una respuesta de 5/3 significa que algo salió mal.

More Statistics & Probability lessons

Random Samples & Representative Data7.SP.A.1Drawing Inferences from Samples7.SP.A.2Comparing Data with Visual Overlap7.SP.B.3Comparing Populations with Center & Spread7.SP.B.4Estimating Probability from Data7.SP.C.6Building a Probability Model7.SP.C.7

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