Biology / Unit 5 Bio 1023 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Rule of Multiplication
Captions available
The idea
The rule of multiplication, called the product rule in some texts, gives the probability of two independent events both occurring by multiplying their probabilities.
In practice
The chance that two gametes each carry a given allele is one half times one half, or one quarter.
Where people slip
The rule of multiplication requires true independence — it misstates the odds if one event's outcome affects the other's.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Biology