Meaning & use
independent event
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Meaning
nouncountablemathematics
In probability, an event whose outcome does not affect the probability of another event.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural, e.g. 'independent events'.
Patterns
- independent events
- two independent events
- if two events are independent
When you flip two coins, the result of the first flip and the result of the second flip are independent events.
In probability theory, if An and B are independent events, then the probability of both occurring is the product of their individual probabilities.
The teacher explained that rolling a die and drawing a card are independent events because one does not influence the other.
Word forms
| plural | independent events |
|---|
Common combinations
- statistically independent
- The two variables are statistically independent, so knowing one gives no information about the other.
- pair of independent events
- The experiment involved a pair of independent events: tossing a coin and spinning a spinner.
- independent event probability
- To find the independent event probability, multiply the chances together.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uncorrelated event
- Used more in statistics; it means there is no statistical relationship, which is slightly broader than the probability definition of independent.
Opposites
Word family
- independence noun
- The state of being independent; in probability, the condition that events do not affect each other.
- independent adjective
- Not influenced by something else; used in 'independent events'.
Commonly confused: independent event or mutually exclusive?
independent event vs mutually exclusive
Mutually exclusive events cannot happen at the same time, while independent events can happen together but do not affect each other's probability.
Practice
If you roll a die and then flip a coin, the two outcomes are ______.
Choose one answer.
The die roll does not affect the coin flip, so they are independent events. 'Dependent events' would mean one outcome changes the other's probability, which is not the case here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “independent event”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.