To calculate the probability of flipping a coin three times and having all three flips result in heads, we first need to understand the basic principles of probability.
When you flip a fair coin, there are two possible outcomes for each flip: heads or tails. This means the probability of getting heads on a single flip is:
P(Heads) = 1/2
Now, when flipping the coin three times, we consider the independent nature of each flip. The probability of each flip remains constant regardless of the results of the previous flips. Therefore, we can multiply the probabilities of getting heads on each individual flip:
P(Three Heads) = P(Heads) × P(Heads) × P(Heads) = (1/2) × (1/2) × (1/2)
Calculating this gives us:
P(Three Heads) = 1/2^3 = 1/8
This means that the probability of flipping a coin three times and getting heads all three times is:
1/8, which is equivalent to 0.125 or 12.5%.
In summary, while flipping a coin three times, the odds of obtaining heads on all flips is relatively low, at just 12.5%.