What is a random event? Definition and examples
In probability theory, a random event happens by chance. In other words, there is uncertainty as to what the outcome of the event will be.
For example, throwing a die is a random event because the die may land on 2 for example by chance and you had absolutely no idea that the die was going to land on 2.
More examples of random events
- When you draw a card from a standard deck of 52 cards, the card you draw is a random event since it could be any of the 52 cards
- The number of people going to a restaurant to eat each week is a random event. It is random because it could be 500, 200, 1800, 20, or event 0 in the worse case situation
- Flipping a fair coin is a random event since you do not know in advance if the coin will land on head or tail
- The number of car accidents in a city on a given day is a random event
Some events that are not random events
- Throwing a loaded or weighted die is not a random event since the die will have a tendency to land on a specific number
- You decide what you will have for dinner every Friday
- You go to a park to study for an exam
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