Sample space ↩

Metadata

aliases: [sample space, Sample description space, sample description space, Possibility space, possibility space, Outcome space, outcome space]

In probability theory, the sample space is the collection or totality of all possible outcomes of a conceptual experiment. An event is a subset of the sample space. The class of all events associated with a given experiment is defined to be the event space.

Usually denoted as . (Or or sometimes )

It can be finite, infinite and countable or uncountable.

Examples

Tossing a coin

Only two outcomes are possible, getting a head or tail.

Tossing two coins

Then we have possible outcomes:

where means that the first coin landed head and the second tail.

Throwing a dice

We have six possible outcomes, because there are six faces on a dice:

Throwing a dart

When throwing a dart on a circular dartboard, it could land anywhere within that circular surface: