The probability of obtaining three heads in a row when tossing a fair coin can be calculated using the basic principles of probability.
When you toss a coin, there are two possible outcomes: heads (H) or tails (T). Therefore, for each toss of the coin, the probability of getting heads is:
- P(H) = 1/2
Since the outcomes of the coin tosses are independent, the probability of getting heads on all three tosses can be found by multiplying the probabilities of each individual toss. Thus:
P(Three Heads) = P(H) × P(H) × P(H) = (1/2) × (1/2) × (1/2)
Calculating this gives us:
- P(Three Heads) = 1/8
So, the likelihood of obtaining three heads in a row when tossing a coin three times is 1/8, or 12.5%.
This means that if you were to perform this experiment of tossing a coin three times repeatedly, you would expect to see three heads in a row approximately once in every eight attempts, statistically speaking.