Imagination your students comparing a simulation of rolling two dice with horse racing. In the attached worksheet student choose from a list of 12 horses. They are told that the number associated with their horse corresponds to the sums from rolling two dice.
CCSS.Math 7.SP.C. Investigate chance processes and develop, use, and evaluate probability models.
figure 1
The powerful aspect of this activity is using the TI calculator app Prob Sim to simulate rolling two dice. In figure 1, you can see how the students find the app Prob Sim.
In figure 2, notice that the simulation shows a picture of the two dices as well as records the sum on a histogram.
figure 2figure 3
In figure 3, 50 rolls at once can be used to reveal the pattern of probabilities that occur with a large number of rolls.
The worksheet, “The Great Race”, guides the students through individual or pair sampling to whole class horse racing with when 50 rolls at a time are recorded. Students like to cheer for their horse when 400 to 500 samples are recorded on the histogram. Finally the worksheet guides the students through organizing the 36 equally likely outcomes and discussing how the frequency of different sums influenced the chance of different horses winning.
paring a simulation of rolling two dice with horse racing. In the attached worksheet student choose from a list of 12 horses. They are told that the number associated with their horse corresponds to the sums from rolling two dice.
