Answer to Question #207010 in Statistics and Probability for Sarah

Question

One of the steps in finding probability is to determine the possible outcomes for a given event. The set of all possible outcomes is called the sample space. Take a look at this example:

Ten friends meet after school each Wednesday: Albert, Betty, Carlo, Dean, Elizabeth, Frank, Gina, Holly, Inez, and Julie. Each week, one person is chosen at random to bring food. What are all of the possible outcomes for the person who is bringing food this Wednesday?

In this case, the sample space is the set of all of the members of the group. It is written as:

S = {Albert, Betty, Carlo, Dean, Elizabeth, Frank, Gina, Holly, Inez, Julie}.

In 20 words or fewer, identify another way this sample space could be written so that it doesn’t take up so much room.

Answer 1

The possible outcome for the person who is bringing food this Wednesday is one of ten friends.

Give some number to each name.

Then sample space:

S={1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}