Classmates answer: Dealing with probability is something I do on a daily basis at work. One instance I utilized probability recently was with the weather. We had to determine if based on the weather if we would close the office, and if we would take our laptops home to telework. While we were fairly certain it was going to snow (about 85% sure), the question was how much snow we were actually going to get. There was about a 60% chance of 1-3 inches and a 40% chance of 3 or more inches. We decided to take our equipment home to be able to telework. In the end, we decided to close the office because of the steady snowfall and the warnings to stay off the roads from state officials. However, it was a Friday, so we opted to just give everyone a 3 day weekend to enjoy time with their families since schools were closed as well.

In my personal life I use probability when budgeting. One thing I budget for is gas. I look at my bi-weekly schedule to see where I need to be for the next 2 weeks in order to see how much I will need to spend on gas. I have an SUV and I spend about $60 per full tank of gas. If I am on-site at my location at work for at least 5/10 days, I will usually only need to fill up once a week. So I will budget $120 for gas. However, If I have a a lot of off-site meetings, appointments for myself or my kids, there is about a 75% chance I will need to get an extra fill up within that 2 week period. Therefore I will add an additional $60 to the gas budget for a total of $180.

Make a substantive reply to classmates.

Example: Your idea of probability to decide when to leave and return from work is great, I feel like everyone thinks about this when trying to avoid traffic. Using probability to reduce the likelihood of encountering rush hour traffic or an accident is a very good use of probability.