Math 4 Real: Combined Probability

Have you ever read the fine print on a sweepstakes form and seen something like “odds of winning are 1:500,000?” That's probability's way of telling you that your chances of nabbing the prize are roughly equal to those of Ralph Nader's becoming our next president. How those numbers are derived, and much more, can be found in this terrific video, one of eight programs in the Math 4 Real series. Using everyday, real-life examples and easy-to-remember rules and formulas, Combined Probability clearly explains the mathematical principles behind probability, drawing on single event, multiple independent event, and mutually exclusive event examples, as well as tree diagrams, to illustrate probable outcomes. A fast-paced program featuring MTV-style graphics, pacing, and hip young hosts, this originally aired in the U.K., so there's a fair amount of vocabulary and cultural differences; however, viewers are warned about this upfront, and it's not too hard to figure out that crisps are really potato chips (besides, many American kids think British accents are cool!). The other titles in the series are: Area of Circles and Composite Shapes, Enlargement, Loci, The Pythagorean Theorem, The Sine Ratio, and The Tangent Ratio. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (E. Gieschen)