EngageNY
Conducting a Simulation to Estimate the Probability of an Event
How can you complete a simulation when it is not practical to determine the probability of an event? Class members learn that in some situations, it is not feasible to find the probability of an event, but they can estimate it by running...
EngageNY
Conducting a Simulation to Estimate the Probability of an Event II
Add some randomization into simulations. The 11th installment in a series of 25 presents two new methods to use in simulations--colored disks, and random numbers. Pupils use random numbers to run simulations where the probabilities make...
EngageNY
Estimating Probabilities by Collecting Data
Take a spin to determine experimental probability. Small groups spin a spinner and keep track of the sums of the spins and calculate the resulting probabilities. Pupils use simulated frequencies to practice finding other probabilities to...
EngageNY
Applying Probability to Make Informed Decisions
Use simulations to determine the probabilities of events to make decisions. Class members are presented with several scenarios, some with known probabilities and others without. Groups run simulations to gather data that they then use to...
EngageNY
The Difference Between Theoretical Probabilities and Estimated Probabilities
Flip a coin to determine whether the probability of heads is one-half. Pupils use simulated data to find the experimental probability of flipping a coin. Participants compare the long run relative frequency with the known theoretical...
American Statistical Association
What is the Probability of “Pigging Out”
Learners apply their understanding of luck to a probability experiment. They play a game of Pass the Pigs to determine the probability of a specific outcome. Using analysis for their data, pupils declare the measures of center, dot...
American Statistical Association
Exploring Geometric Probabilities with Buffon’s Coin Problem
Scholars create and perform experiments attempting to answer Buffon's Coin problem. They discover the relationships between geometry and probability, empirical and theoretical probabilities, and area of a circle and square.
Illustrative Mathematics
Return to Fred's Fun Factory (with 50 Cents)
The penny arcade gets the statistics treatment in this fun probability investigation. A non-standard game of chance is described and then the class is set loose to find missing probabilities, determine common outcomes, and evaluate...
Curated OER
Election Poll, Variation 3
Build on probability and incorporate a random number generator to select outcomes for a school election. Your learners will record their results on a dot plot and answer questions regarding whether their candidate has a chance at the...
Shodor Education Foundation
Estimating With Fire
Watch the damage from a forest fire in this interactive simulation activity that challenges learners to estimate the burn area using different approaches. Learners are given a worksheet to track the different burn patterns and practice...
Kenan Fellows
A Farmer’s Challenge to Breed to the Greatest of Grapes
What does your class know about GMOs? Are they savvy to selective breeding? Challenge young minds to engineer the greatest crop of all time using a hands-on genetics unit. Learners discover the good and bad details of selective breeding,...
Consumer Action
Talking to Teens About Money
Your teenagers are probably very good at spending money, but how good are they at managing it? Teach class members about banking, checking accounts, interest rates, car insurance, and many other relevant concepts with a series of...
Code.org
Packets and Making a Reliable Internet
That's not what I said! My message did not arrive in the correct order! Introduce the concept of packets and the transmission control protocol used to send and receive information over the Internet. The class participates in an unplugged...
Peace Corps
What's Mongolia Really Like?
Understanding different cultural experiences is a challenging and worthwhile objective throughout grade and content levels. This lesson facilitates an appreciation of rural Mongolian life through a simulation of being a nomadic teen as...
Curated OER
Stochastic and Deterministic Modeling
Explore the difference between stochastic and deterministic modeling through programming. First have the class write algorithms for relatively simple tasks using pseudocode. Use the Python 2.7 program app to simulate Mendel's Pea Pod...
Statistics Education Web
Consuming Cola
Caffeine affects your heart rate — or does it? Learners study experimental design while conducting their own experiment. They collect heart rate data after drinking a caffeinated beverage, create a box plot, and draw conclusions. They...