We know that each section of a spinner has the same area.
The table shows the results when the spinner was spun 20 times.
Spinner Results
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
5
9
3
3
Results represent the number of trials in which a favorable outcome occurs — the successes. Now we will identify the color that has a greater experimental probability of stopping on the color than theoretical probability. Let's recall how the experimental and the theoretical probabilities are calculated.
Theoretical Probability
Number of favorable outcomes/Total number of outcomes
Experimental Probability
Number of successes/Number of trials
Since the number of favorable outcomes ( 1) and the total number of outcomes for each colored section ( 4) are the same, the theoretical probability of stopping on each section equals 1 4. Now we will find the experimental probabilities by using the outcomes in the table.
Theoretical Probability
Experimental Probability
Red
1/4=5/20
5/20
Green
1/4=5/20
9/20
Blue
1/4=5/20
3/20
Yellow
1/4=5/20
3/20
To compare the probabilities, we expanded the theoretical probabilities by 5. As we compare the probabilities of stopping on the colored sections, we can see that the green section has greater experimental probability than theoretical probability.
9/20>1/4
