University of Colorado Boulder

BiteSize Stats: Probability Rules and Bayes Theorem 

University of Colorado Boulder

BiteSize Stats: Probability Rules and Bayes Theorem 

Di Wu

Instructor: Di Wu

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level
No prior experience required
2 months to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level
No prior experience required
2 months to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Statistics

  • Probability

  • Bayes' Theorem

Details to know

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Recently updated!

August 2026

Assessments

5 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the BiteSize Statistics for Absolute Beginners Specialization
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There are 5 modules in this course

Introduces the vocabulary and axioms of probability — random experiments, sample spaces, and events — and shows how to calculate classical probabilities and interpret them in a business context. Students then classify events as simple or compound, mutually exclusive or not, and exhaustive, before learning Kolmogorov's three axioms and how to read Venn diagrams to compute union, intersection, and complement probabilities.

What's included

22 readings1 assignment5 ungraded labs

Covers the general addition rule for computing union probabilities and the concept of statistical independence, then the multiplication rule for joint probabilities of dependent and independent events. Students build and read probability trees to solve multi-stage sequential problems, culminating in a lab that models a two-stage quality inspection pipeline.

What's included

21 readings1 assignment5 ungraded labs

Covers the complement rule for efficiently solving 'at least one' problems, then introduces conditional probability as a restriction of the sample space and the formula that connects it to joint and marginal probabilities. Students build contingency tables and extract marginal, joint, and conditional probabilities, closing with a lab that investigates a counterintuitive fraud-detection scenario.

What's included

21 readings1 assignment5 ungraded labs

Covers the Fundamental Counting Principle for multi-stage sequential choices, then permutations for ordered arrangements and combinations for unordered selections. Students learn to select the correct counting formula for a given business problem and combine multiple formulas in multi-stage counting problems, closing with a lab spanning scheduling, security, and portfolio-construction challenges.

What's included

21 readings1 assignment5 ungraded labs

Introduces the Law of Total Probability for computing unconditional probabilities from conditional rates, then derives Bayes' Theorem for updating beliefs given new evidence. Students apply Bayes' Theorem to medical testing (sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV) and business contexts (fraud detection, churn, spam filtering), including sequential updating, closing with a lab on sequential quality testing across suppliers.

What's included

21 readings1 assignment5 ungraded labs

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Instructor

Di Wu
University of Colorado Boulder
24 Courses64,138 learners

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