If a coin is flipped three times, what is the probability of getting exactly two heads?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
If a coin is flipped three times, what is the probability of getting exactly two heads?
3/8
1/2
1/4
1/8
The total outcomes are 2^3 = 8. The combinations for exactly 2 heads are HHT, HTH, THH, which gives us 3 favorable outcomes. So, the probability is 3/8.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: If a coin is flipped three times, what is the probability of getting exactly two heads?
Solution: The total outcomes are 2^3 = 8. The combinations for exactly 2 heads are HHT, HTH, THH, which gives us 3 favorable outcomes. So, the probability is 3/8.
Steps: 8
Step 1: Understand that when a coin is flipped, it can land on either heads (H) or tails (T).
Step 2: Since the coin is flipped three times, we need to find all possible outcomes. Each flip has 2 outcomes, so for 3 flips, the total outcomes are 2^3.
Step 3: Calculate 2^3, which equals 8. This means there are 8 possible outcomes when flipping the coin three times.
Step 4: List the possible outcomes: HHH, HHT, HTH, HTT, THH, THT, TTH, TTT.
Step 5: Identify the outcomes that have exactly 2 heads. These are HHT, HTH, and THH.
Step 6: Count the favorable outcomes. There are 3 outcomes with exactly 2 heads.
Step 7: To find the probability, divide the number of favorable outcomes (3) by the total outcomes (8).
Step 8: The probability of getting exactly 2 heads is 3/8.