Curriculum placement
Algebra 2. This describes the skill, not a learner estimate.
Using expected value to compare choices
Use weighted outcomes to compare decisions
Problem types
- Expected value
Builds on
- Finding a conditional probability
- Sums of a finite geometric sequence · Useful idea
An expected value is a sum of each value times its probability, written in sigma notation.
- The binomial theorem · Useful idea
The expected number of successes in n independent trials is n times the success probability, the mean of the binomial distribution.
- The addition rule for probability · Useful idea
Mutually exclusive outcomes add, so the probability of a set of outcomes is the sum of their probabilities in an expected value.
- Mean of a data set · Earlier idea
Expected value is a mean in which each outcome is weighted by its probability.
Leads to
Related skills
- Dividing a segment in a given ratio · Related idea
A point dividing a segment in ratio p to q is a weighted average of the endpoints, as an expected value weights each outcome by its probability.
- Independence and mutual exclusion · Shared foundations
- The multiplication rule for probability · Shared foundations
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