Final answer:
The experimental probability of flipping heads in the class experiment was about 0.479, which is slightly less than the theoretical probability of 0.5. This difference is due to the randomness of each trial and the limited number of flips, which tend to align more closely with the theoretical probability as the number of flips increases.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the class experiment, the experimental probability of flipping heads was determined by the ratio of the number of heads flipped to the total number of coins flipped. With 158 heads out of 330 total flips (158 heads + 172 tails), the experimental probability is 158/330 ≈ 0.479.
In contrast, the theoretical probability of flipping heads with a fair coin is always 0.5, as each flip has two possible outcomes (heads or tails) and one way to get heads.
The experimental probability can vary due to the randomness of each flip and the relatively small number of trials, while the theoretical probability represents the expected ratio in the long term, as affirmed by the law of large numbers.