15. While it is a less common way (than probability) of expressing likelihood and does not follow the five basic Probability Rules, statements of “odds” are often encountered in gambling contexts. The odds against an event happening are the ratio . In a horse race, suppose the odds against a particular horse winning the race are 3:2 (or “3 to 2”); in other words, . What is the probability that the horse wins?
Algebra Review Appendix
Solving for One Variable in Terms of Another
15.
We know that . Now, we need to solve the following equation for . This gives .