Six coins are tossed simultaneously. Find the probability of getting
i. 3 heads
ii. no heads
iii. at least one head
Let p be the probability of getting a head in a toss.
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If p is the probability of getting a head in a toss, then q is the probability of getting a tail in a toss.
We have p + q = 1
⇒ q = 1 – p
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Let X denote a random variable representing the number of heads in 6 tosses of coin. The probability of getting r heads in n tosses of coins is given by
P (X = r) = nCrprqn-r
We know the values of n, p, and q.
n = 6
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We can re-write the binomial distribution as,
…(A)
(i). We need to find the probability of getting 3 heads.
It is given by,
Probability = P (X = 3)
So, putting r = 3 in equation (A). We get
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Thus, the probability of getting 3 heads out of tosses of 6 coins is
.
(ii). We need to find the probability of getting no head.
It is given by,
Probability = P (X = 0)
So, putting r = 0 in equation (A). We get
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Thus the probability of getting 0 heads out of tosses of 6 coins is
.
(iii). We need to find the probability of getting at least 1 head.
It is given by,
Probability = P (X = 1) + P (X = 2) + P (X = 3) + P (X = 4) + P (X = 5) + P (X = 6)
Or
Probability = 1 – P (X = 0)
Let us use the shorter formula.
We know from the result of part (ii),
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Using this result, let us find out the probability of getting at least one head.
Then,
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Thus, the probability of getting at least one head is
.