Demystifying - Probabilities that sum to one

Drills

Why an exhaustive set’s probabilities total one, and checking a stated table.

Author note — to cover

The probabilities of an exhaustive set of mutually exclusive outcomes total exactly 1; check a stated table, spotting totals over or under 1; tables mixing fractions, decimals and percentages. Both tiers. Exclude solving for unknowns (missing-probabilities page) and exhaustive sets of combined events (Combined events topic). (P4)

  • Fluency — direct questions on probabilities that sum to one, limited to this lesson's stated scope (4 questions).
  • Application — use the same skill in unfamiliar or contextual questions without introducing a later method (4 questions).
  • Check — questions built around the exclusions and likely misconceptions named in the lesson brief (4 questions).

The test

—coming soon—

Where to go next

The method this drill practises is taught on Probabilities that sum to one.