Which of the following experiments have equally likely outcomes? Explain.
(i) A driver attempts to start a car. The car starts or does not start.
(ii) A player attempts to shoot a basketball. She/he shoots or misses the shot.
(iii) A trial is made to answer a true–false question. The answer is right or wrong.
(iv) A baby is born. It is a boy or a girl.
The experiments (iii) and (iv) have equally likely outcomes.
For a true–false question, there are two outcomes (right or wrong) that are assumed to be equally likely. For the birth of a baby, it is usually assumed that boy and girl are equally likely. In the other two cases, the chances of success and failure depend on many factors (condition of the car, skill of the player), so the outcomes are not equally likely.