How do you find the probability of flipping heads on a fair coin?

The probability of flipping heads on a fair coin is 1/2 or 50%.

To understand why this is the case, let's start by considering what a fair coin is. A fair coin is one that has no bias, meaning it is equally likely to land on heads as it is on tails. When you flip a fair coin, there are only two possible outcomes: heads or tails. Since these are the only two outcomes and they are equally likely, the probability of each outcome is the same.

Probability is a measure of how likely an event is to occur and is calculated by dividing the number of favourable outcomes by the total number of possible outcomes. In the case of flipping a fair coin, there is 1 favourable outcome for heads and 1 favourable outcome for tails, making a total of 2 possible outcomes. Therefore, the probability of flipping heads is calculated as follows:

\[ \text{Probability of heads} = \frac{\text{Number of favourable outcomes for heads}}{\text{Total number of possible outcomes}} = \frac{1}{2} \]

This fraction, 1/2, can also be expressed as 0.5 or 50%, indicating that there is an equal chance of getting heads or tails. This concept is fundamental in probability and helps us understand more complex scenarios where multiple outcomes are possible. Remember, the key idea is that a fair coin has no preference for heads or tails, making each flip an independent event with an equal likelihood of either result.