Free throwing probability | Probability and Statistics | Khan Academy

Our friend and Cleveland Cavalier, LeBron James, asks Sal how to determine the probability of making 10 free throws in a row. Hint: the answer is surprising!

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[ThalesPo]

4 hours in a row just seeing the blackboard, when LeBron appeared I jumped out of the chair in shock.

[HuckleberryHim]

I really love how you treat us all like we know only the bare minimum, and I am not saying that sarcastically at all! There are few people who will explain anything in such depth. Most people simply assume we have followed them or whatever they are teaching through its course. You have a fresh slate every video. Keep at it! :D

[vnnyboy]

sal has a better chance of getting struck by lightning .... that statistic was hilarious :D

[khanacademy]

If these things have an impact, then we can no longer say that each free throw is an independent event. We'd then need to use conditional probabilities.

[MrEhYoung]

Sal is the man. lol, not only entertaining, but saved my ass on countless calculus tests, chemistry exams, and bio quizzes!

[thHorseMan]

LeBron is such a baller, having the inside connection with Sal and all.

[Thatcoolvietkid]

I think this is a great educational tool as well as a fantastic way to relate to a wider audience! Once again, great job Sal.

[TheJackAuffman]

i love how u dont just put 75% to the 10th power immediately. really admire ur patience and thats really nice when it comes to teaching other people stuff. :D thanks sal

[JamesKim]

Haha! Sal you NEED to keep trying to add people into your videos! It makes them more interesting(Even tho they already are) and easier for us to learn!

[TheKmanOfSmash]

I've read up a bit on this and you seem to be absolutely right (though I'm having trouble comprehending your calculation). I've had the notion for a while that because an increase in opportunities does not affect the prob. of individual shots, it also does not affect the prob. of specific combinations of such shots which, as you obviously point out, is just flat out wrong. Thank you for your insight, sir/ma'am. I shall try to brush up on my probability a bit more in the future.

[kamalkhandelwal]

Sal sir, you're simply gifted. The drawing's amazing. And I don't think I needa say anything bout how u make us love learning. God bless ya.

[PrUnEJuIcEtHeThIrD]

Respect for Lebron has just gone up. Good to see a superstar athlete give a nod to public education.

[masterofktulu]

Dude. Why weren't you my math teacher. This could be the way of the future in teaching our children. Awesome job.

[ltrafael]

Very good Sal. I wish I had a teacher like you haha.
And like Thejackauffman said, your patience makes it a lot easier to understand. It is nice to hear you talking about details like the word percent and when you generalize the formula.
Thanks.

[alcesmir]

Oh my. The red boxes made my day!

Mad props to Sal and his team for adding some hilarious self insulting humor!

[alcesmir]

Don't forget air resistance (of course accounting for the current shape and surface of the ball), the gravitational pull of the moon and that insect that may or may not collide with the ball in mid air.

[richyblitz]

Khan Academy deserves this! I've been watching Sal make videos back before he had this new fancy pen to write with. LeBron I applaud you. Sal your good karma is following you.

Cheers to the future of intelligent individuals!

[KBoo]

You are absolutely amazing. You make everything so easy to understand. You're doing a good thing for people here :) Thankyou.

[yuvalkria]

hey Sal, free throws of 28% are pretty good! way to go!

[fumeultraarchie]

Totally lost it at the intro. Well done Sal and Bron!