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For an in-class demonstration, a teacher flips a fair coin 5 times, and each of the 5 times it lands on heads. A student argues that it's more likely to land on tails on the next flip. What, if anything, is incorrect about the student's logic?

A.
The student's logic is incorrect; since a coin being flipped 5 times is 5 independent events, the probability of the next flip landing on heads is still 1/2.
B.
The student's logic is incorrect; since a coin being flipped 5 times is 5 dependent events, the probability of the next flip landing on heads is still 1/2
C.
There is nothing wrong with the student's logic; because a coin being flipped 5 times is 5 independent events, the probability the next flip will land on heads is affected by the previous outcomes.
D.
There is nothing wrong with the student's logic; because a coin being flipped 5 times is 5 dependent events, the probability the next flip will land on heads is affected by the previous outcomes.

User Vkostromin
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8.3k points

1 Answer

3 votes
A appears to be correct

User Omer Bach
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8.2k points