What is Mathematical Probability ?

The theory of mathematical probability is a little over three hundred years old. Since its discovery by Pascal and Fermat in the seventeenth century it has become an integral part of our everyday lives. At one time or another all of us have made decisions by taking chances, throwing dice, or drawing cards. Frequently we have made judgments based on the likelihood or probability that a certain event will happen. Developments in the theory and applications of probability range from simple informal activities to important fields as the physical sciences, genetics, the social sciences, economics, industry, engineering and insurance. Because of its widespread use, the theory of probability should be presented in high school mathematics classes.

There are really two types of mathematical probability. What the other people answered was theoretical probability. The probability of an event = # of ways it happens / # of possible outcomes.

But there is another type of probability, this is based on past outcomes and other factors. The probability that you will die tomorrow is not 1/2, it is based on other factors like age,health,etc....

The probability that a magician will pick your card is not 1/52 but more like 1 out of 1 or at least .99

Probability: a chance

Probabilty is like ...(if you had a dice) then you would have a 1 in 6 chance of rolling a 1. If you have a bag with 2 green, 1 red, and 4 blue cards.. you have a 4 out of 7 chance and you have the highest probability,

do you get it? :*) HIH!

A numeric figure not less than 0 and not greater than 1, representing the likelihood that a particular event may occur in the future.

A ratio of possible outcomes defined as a "success" to total possible outcomes. It's usually written as a pecentage, but the equivalent fraction or decimal number would also be correct.