Have you ever wondered what the odds are of something happening?
It’s very interesting and educational to know the probability of a certain thing occurring.
Many people are often curious about the odds of winning a lottery or the chances of rain today where you are.
The chances of something happening depend on many factors.
But with a 50/50 chance, you know there are only 2 options.
Either it will happen or it won’t.
Here are some great examples of things that have a 50/50 chance of happening.
What are odds?
Odds are considered to be a ratio of success of a certain thing happening.
Think of odds as the chances of winning compared to losing.
If you have 4 coins and 1 of them is a penny and the other 3 are quarters, the probability of picking a penny is 1 in 4 or 25% but the odds are 3 to 1.
This means there are 3 chances of picking a quarter and 1 chance of picking a penny.
What is Probability?
Probability is considered to be the chance or likelihood that something going to happen.
Think of probability as an estimate of the number of times something actually happens compared to the number of times it is available to happen.
Probability can be anywhere from 0-100% where 0% means there is no chance of something happening and 100% means it is guaranteed to happen.
What has a 50/50 chance of happening?
In order to have a 50/50 chance, there can only be 2 possibilities. Either one thing happens or the other thing happens. If you have 2 answers to a question, you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right.
Coin flip
A coin is a perfect example of something that has 2 different sides and therefore 2 possibilities when a coin is flipped.
Coins generally have 2 different images, one on each side often called heads and tails.
When you flip a coin into the air, you have a 50/50 chance of it landing on the head side or the tail side.
One of those two things will happen and there are no other options.
Well, I guess technically a coin could land on its edge and although that is extremely rare, you can’t rule out the possibility.
It’s possible that the coin will land on the same side in consecutive flips, but each time the coin is flipped, there is a 50/50 chance of it landing on either the heads or tails side.
Deck of playing cards – choosing a color
A normal deck of playing cards contains 52 cards divided into 2 colors. Red and black.
There are 26 red cards for the hearts and diamond suits and 26 black cards for spades and clubs.
If you select 2 cards from the deck, one of each color and have someone place them face down on a table without you seeing them, you will have a 50/50 chance of selecting a red or a black card.
There is an equal chance of one of two results happening. Either choose a red card or a black card. There is no other option in this case.
Another example is if you have a full deck of cards minus the Jokers, and remove one card, you will have a 50/50 chance of removing a red card from the deck.
Since there are 52 cards total and 26 of them are red, the chances of drawing a red card is the same as drawing a black card. Its a 50/50 chance.
True or false quiz
How many times have you taken a true or false quiz and how many did you get right?
For me personally, anytime I have a choice of choosing a correct answer from 2 possibilities, I will get it wrong more times than I guess right.
Even though you may get the answer wrong more times than you guessed right, you still have a 50/50 chance of answering the question right before guessing.
There are only 2 possibilities and only 1 right answer. Its a 50/50 chance that the answer is either true or false.
Childbirth
As you know, any event that has 2 possible outcomes is a 50/50 chance.
When giving birth, the probability of a child being born a male is the same as it is being born a female.
There is a 50/50 chance of having a boy or a girl. There are 2 possibilities with the chances of either outcome being the same.
Getting a job – interview success
It can be frustrating when you apply for a job, make it to the interview, then have to wait for a decision on whether you get the job or not.
In this case, the chance of you being successful in getting the job is the same as you not getting the job. Either they are going to hire you or they won’t.
There is no other option and only 1 of 2 results can happen. Either you get hired or you don’t.
It’s a 50/50 chance.
