Question

Why is tossing a coin considered to be a fair way of deciding which team should get the ball at the beginning of a football game?

Answer 1

Here we have to find the reason for tossing coins considered to be a fair way of deciding which team should get the ball at the beginning of a football game. To solve the sum we need to use equally likely outcomes.
The outcomes of a sample space are called equally likely if all of them have the same chance of occurring. It is very difficult to decide whether the outcomes are equally likely. For example, let us assume an unbiased coin is tossed. There is an equal chance to get head and tail.

Complete step-by-step answer:
To find the answer, we need to know the definition of equally likely outcomes.
The outcomes of a sample space are called equally likely if all of them have the same chance of occurring. It is very difficult to decide whether the outcomes are equally likely. For example, let us assume an unbiased coin is tossed. There is an equal chance to get head and tail.
For equally likely outcomes, there is the same chance for each outcome, so the probability of each outcome will be the same.
Let us assume an unbiased coin is tossed. There is an equal chance to get head and tail.
So, the probability of getting a head is $\dfrac{1}{2}$.
And, the probability of getting a tail is $\dfrac{1}{2}$.
So, there will be a fair chance for each team.
Hence, tossing a coin is a fair way of deciding which team should get the ball at the beginning of a football game.

Note: This is the simple logical question. We will get the reason by thinking logically. We have to give a clear mathematical explanation for it. That’s why we are using probability relation and more tossing of a coin depends on a few factors such as: speed of wind, the gravitational force, the throwing of the coin and so on. Usually we ignore conditions.