Meaning & use
dependent event
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Meaning
nouncountablemathematics
In probability, an event whose outcome is affected by whether another event has happened.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural 'dependent events'.
Patterns
- a dependent event
- dependent events
- dependent on another event
Drawing a second card without replacing the first is an example of a dependent event.
The probability of a dependent event changes based on previous outcomes.
In this experiment, the two trials are dependent events because the first affects the second.
Word forms
| plural | dependent events |
|---|
Common combinations
- dependent event in probability
- A dependent event in probability is one whose chance is influenced by a prior event.
- dependent events in statistics
- Dependent events in statistics require conditional probability.
- dependent event example
- A classic dependent event example is picking marbles from a bag without replacement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- conditional event
- Sometimes used interchangeably, but 'conditional event' often refers to an event given that another has occurred, while 'dependent event' emphasizes the dependence.
Opposites
Word family
- dependence noun
- The state of relying on or being controlled by something.
- dependent adjective
- Affected or decided by something else.
Commonly confused: dependent event or independent event?
dependent event vs independent event
An independent event's outcome is not affected by other events, while a dependent event's outcome is affected.
Practice
Which of the following is a dependent event?
Choose one answer.
Drawing a second card without replacement is a dependent event because the first draw changes the composition of the deck and thus the probability of the second draw. The other options are independent events because their outcomes are not affected by previous outcomes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dependent event”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.