An arborist is commissioned to study the amount of tree decay in a forest. The arborist obtains detailed information about the forest, the location, the annual rainfall, the type of tree species and other plants present, the pests and insects associated with tree death, and other information deemed relevant. On the basis of this information, the arborist reports that she puts the proportion of decayed trees at 22%. Therefore, she concludes that the probability of a randomly selected tree having decay is p = 0.22. This is an example of:
A)a frequency based probability.
B)a random probability.
C)a personal probability.
D)a fixed probability.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of a personal probability because the arborist based her estimate on her own observations and information collected from her study of the forest. It is not based on a frequency or random experiment, and it is not a fixed probability because the proportion of decayed trees can vary over time and across different forests.

An Arborist Is Commissioned to Study the Amount of Tree