Probability: Dice

Dice are thrown to provide random numbers for gambling and other games, and thus are a type of hardware random number generator. The
result of a die roll is random in the sense of lacking predictability, not lacking cause. Exactly how dice are thrown determines how they will
land according to the laws of classical mechanics. However, dice also can exhibit sensitive dependence on initial conditions, making it difficult
to predict the outcome of a die roll even with good information about exactly how it is thrown.

Dice are thrown, singly or in groups, from the hand or from a cup or box designed for the purpose, onto a flat surface. The face of each die
that is uppermost when it comes to rest provides the value of the throw. A typical dice game today is craps, wherein two dice are thrown at a
time, and wagers are made on the total value of up-facing pips on the two dice. They are also frequently used to randomize allowable moves in
board games, usually by deciding the distance through which a piece will move along the board; examples of this are ludo and backgammon.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dice

Learning Center 1875 SW Park Avenue, Millar Library, Portland, OR 97201 503.725.4448 www.pdx.edu/tutoring
 Probability: Dice
When you roll just one die, there are six different ways the die can land.

When two dice are rolled, there are now 36 different and unique ways the dice can come up. This figure is arrived at by multiplying the
number of ways the first die can come up (six) by the number of ways the second die can come up (six). 6 x 6 = 36.

This graphic shows this very nicely. We've used

two different colored dies to help show a roll of
2-1 is different from a roll of 1-2.

If you use the above graphic and count the

number of times is 6 appears when two dice are
rolled, you will see the answer is eleven. Eleven
times out of 36 or 30.5 %, slightly less than the
33.3% (2/6). When you roll two dice, you have a
30.5 % chance at least one 6 will appear.

This figure can also be figured out

mathematically, without the use of the graphic.
One way to do so is to take the number of ways a
single die will NOT show a 6 when rolled (five)
and multiply this by the number of ways the second die will NOT show a 6 when rolled. (Also five.) 5 x 5 = 25. Subtract this from the total
number of ways two dice can appear (36) and we have our answer...eleven.

Determine the chances of at least one 6 appearing when three dice are rolled.

Take the chances of a 6 NOT appearing on the first die... 5/6

and multiply this by the chances of a 6 NOT appearing on the second die... 5/6 x 5/6 = 25/36

and multiply this by the chances of a 6 NOT appearing on the third die... 25/36 x 5/6 = 125/216

So, there are 125 out of 216 chances of a 6 NOT appearing when three dice are rolled. Simply subtract 125 from 216 which will give us the
chances a 6 WILL appear when three dice are rolled, which is 91. 91 out of 216 or 42.1 %.

Source: Edward D. Collins, http://www.edcollins.com/math-questions.htm

Learning Center 1875 SW Park Avenue, Millar Library, Portland, OR 97201 503.725.4448 www.pdx.edu/tutoring
 Probability: Playing Cards
Anglo-American Version

The primary deck of 52 playing cards in use today and includes thirteen ranks of each of the four French suits, diamonds (♦), spades (♠),
hearts (♥) and clubs (♣), with reversible Rouennais "court" or face cards (some modern face card designs, however, have done away with
the traditional reversible figures).

Each suit includes an ace, depicting a single symbol of its suit; a king, queen, and jack, each depicted with a symbol of its suit; and ranks
two through ten, with each card depicting that many symbols (pips) of its suit.

Two (sometimes one or four) Jokers, often distinguishable with one being more colorful than the other, are included in commercial decks
but many games require one or both to be removed before play … A deck often comes with two Joker Cards that do not usually have
hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades, because they can be any card in certain games. In most card games, however, they are not used.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_cards#Anglo-American

Learning Center 1875 SW Park Avenue, Millar Library, Portland, OR 97201 503.725.4448 www.pdx.edu/tutoring
 Probability: Playing Cards

Playing cards involves probability. The better you understand probability, the better you will play!

What is the probability of picking up an ace in a 52 card deck?

The probability of picking up an ace in a 52 deck of cards is 4/52 since there are 4 aces in the
deck. The odds of picking up any other card is therefore 52/52 - 4/52 = 48/52.

What is the probability of picking up an ace or king in a 52 card deck?

The probability of picking up an ace or a king is 8/52 since in a deck of 52 cards there are 4
aces and 4 kings, which totals 8. The probability of not picking up an ace or king is simply
52/52 - 8/52 = 44/52.

What is the probability of picking an ace in five consecutive attempts in a 52 card deck?

In order to determine this probability, first you must determine the probability of not picking up an ace in 5 attempts; removing a non-ace
after each attempt. The probability of not picking up an ace in the first attempt is 48/52. The probability of not picking an ace in the
second attempt is 47/51. This is the case because you had previously removed one of the non-aces in the first attempt reducing the non-
aces from 48 to 47. Also, the total amount of cards also dropped after the first attempt reducing the total number of cards from 52 to 51.
Continuing with this logic on the third attempt the probability of picking a non-ace is 46/50. You can see that the numerator and
denominator are both being reduced by 1 with each attempt. On the fourth attempt the probability of picking a non-ace is 45/49 and on
the fifth attempt is 44/48. So, the total probability of picking a non-ace in 5 consecutive attempts removing the card after each attempt is
the product of each individual attempt. The product of each individual attempt is 48/52 * 47/51 * 46/50 * 45/49 * 44/48 = 0.66.
Multiplying this value by 100 will give you 66 percent. So there is a 66 percent chance of not picking up an ace in 5 consecutive attempts
removing the card after each attempt.

In order to determine the probability of picking up an ace in 5 consecutive attempts you must subtract 66 from 100 which will give you 34
percent. So, there is a 34 percent chance of picking up an ace in 5 consecutive attempts removing the card after each attempt.
Source: Dr. John Costello, http://voices.yahoo.com/probability-cards-3718130.html, 2009

Learning Center 1875 SW Park Avenue, Millar Library, Portland, OR 97201 503.725.4448 www.pdx.edu/tutoring