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Statistics vocabulary · Probability

Independent events

Meaning in statistics, with examples

nounCommon term

In statistics, independent events means: Events where knowing that one has happened does not change the probability of the other; for two such events, P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B).

In Turkish: bağımsız olaylar

How it is used

A key assumption in probability exercises (coin tosses, dice) and in many tests that require independent observations. Do not confuse 'independent' with 'mutually exclusive': two mutually exclusive events with non-zero probabilities can never be independent.

Example sentences

  1. Two tosses of a fair coin are independent events, so the chance of two heads is 0.25.

  2. Breakdowns of machines on the same production line are probably not independent events.

Common collocations

  • statistically independent
  • assume independence
  • independent trials
  • independent observations
  • probabilityA number between 0 and 1 that expresses how likely an event is: 0 means it cannot happen and 1 means it is certain.
  • conditional probabilityThe probability that an event happens given that another event has already happened, written P(A | B) and read 'the probability of A given B'.
  • mutually exclusiveDescribes events or categories that cannot happen or be true at the same time, such as rolling a 2 and rolling a 5 on a single throw of a die.
  • binomial distributionThe probability distribution of the number of successes in a fixed number of independent trials, each with the same probability of success, such as heads in 20 coin tosses.

More terms: Probability

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