Question

About 8% of the U.S. population catches the flu each season. Assuming everyone has equal probability of catching the flu, about what are the odds of catching the flu in a given season?

Answer 1

Answer:

• The odds are 2 : 23, or about 0.09 :  1 (0.09 to 1).

Explanation:

The odds of an event is the ratio of occurrence to non-occurrence of the event.

When you know the probability of an event, then you can calculate the odds by dividing the probability of occurence by the probability of non-occurrence.

Calling p the probability that an event will happen, 1 - p is the probability that it will not happen and the odds will be:

• Odds = p / ( 1 - p)

You have p = 8% = 0.08, and 1 - p = 1 -0.08 = 0.92.

Therefore:

• Odds = 0.08 / 0.92 = 8 : 92 = 2 : 23 ≈ 0.09 : 1 (0.09 to 1)