How to Do Probability in Math for the Fifth Grade
Fifth grade students are expected to demonstrate an ability to work with probability and statistics to solve real-world problems. They are also expected to make predictions based on experimental data. To accomplish these goals, students must learn to find the mean, median, mode and range of a set of data, to set up probability relationships as fractions, and to convert fractions to percentages to communicate probability.
Instructions
-
-
1
Learn probability vocabulary. Data is information represented by numbers on charts, graphs and in tables. Analyzing data involves thinking critically about the information that is being presented. Probability is the likelihood that a certain event will occur based on existing data.
-
2
Learn to find the mean, median, mode and range of a set of data.
Re-write the numbers in order from least to greatest. The middle number in the list is the median. If there is more than one middle number, add the two numbers and divide by two.
The mode is the number most often repeated in the list. A set of numbers can have more than one mode.
The range is the difference between the biggest number and smallest number.
To find the mean, add up all the numbers and divide by the number of numbers in the list.
-
-
3
Use fractions to represent probability. If given a scenario in which there are 12 cubes in a bag -- 3 red, 5 blue, and 4 orange -- create a fraction to represent the portion of the cubes that are each color. The red portion is 3/12 or 1/4 of the cubes -- while 5/12 are blue -- and 4/12 or 1/3 are orange.
To find the probability that a cube pulled at random will be blue, consider the portion of the total number of cubes that are blue -- 5/12. There is a five out of twelve probability that the cube pulled at random from the bag will be blue.
-
4
Convert fractions to percentages to discuss probability. Probability is most often discussed in terms of percentages. To convert 5/12 to a percentage, first turn it into a decimal. To do this, divide 5 by 12. The answer, when rounded to the nearest hundredth, is 0.42. Multiply this number by 100 to get the equivalent percentage -- 42%. A student has a 42% chance of pulling a blue cube from the bag.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
