5140717
For each process, decide whether it is a random experiment in the school-mathematics sense. Briefly justify your answer.
a) Heating pure water to \(100\,^\circ\text{C}\) at standard atmospheric pressure to see whether it boils.
b) Rolling a standard six-sided die.
c) Drawing one numbered ball from an opaque bag containing five balls.
d) Calculating the circumference of a circle with radius \(r = 3\,\text{cm}\).
Hints
- Is the outcome uncertain before the process is carried out?
- Are the possible outcomes known?
- Distinguish a chance process from a result fixed by a physical condition or mathematical rule.
Solution
1. A random experiment has a known set of possible outcomes, but the individual outcome cannot be predicted with certainty before the experiment is performed.
2. a) This is not a random experiment in the intended model. Under the stated physical conditions, the water boils at \(100\,^\circ\text{C}\), so the outcome is treated as predictable.
3. b) This is a random experiment. The possible outcomes are \(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6\), but the result of a particular roll is uncertain.
4. c) This is a random experiment. The possible numbered balls are known, but the selected ball is uncertain before the draw.
5. d) This is not a random experiment. The circumference is determined by \(C = 2\pi r\), so the result follows from the given radius.
Answer
a) Not a random experiment; the outcome is treated as physically determined.
b) Random experiment; the roll is uncertain among known outcomes.
c) Random experiment; the selected ball is uncertain among known outcomes.
d) Not a random experiment; the result is determined by a formula.
