I do not know how to figure out his next shot. A basketball player has made 34 of her last 42 freethrow
attempts. What probability would you assign to the player’s next free throw being successful? Explain
your reasoning.
34/42 = 17/21 I would assume that that the basketball player would make a basket 81% of the time. I am just guessing. Is this right?
That is what I would assume also, lacking further information.
If 17/21 is better or less than her longer-term average, I would go with the longer-term average.
81% is a "hot streak" for most players.
The next free throw is like flipping another coin, the probability of getting heads is 1/2 regardless of previous results. The probability of making the next free throw is 1/2. They are both, basket and coin, independent events.
17/20 as a percent is 85% so you guys are both wrong dumbies!
To figure out the probability of the basketball player making their next free throw, you can analyze the ratio of successful attempts to total attempts in their recent performance.
In this case, the player has made 34 out of her last 42 free throw attempts. To calculate the probability of her next free throw being successful, divide the number of successful attempts (34) by the total number of attempts (42):
Probability = Successful attempts / Total attempts = 34 / 42
Simplifying the fraction, we have:
Probability = 17 / 21
Therefore, the probability of the player making her next free throw is 17/21 or approximately 0.81.
So, your guess of 81% is correct!