STATIONS
The Game Show
Is this coin biased?
One in Three or One in Two?
Why Seven?
Paper, scissors or Rocks
Why one?
ACTIVITY / OUTLINE / RESOURCESThe Game Show / Students to investigate the difference strategies of playing a Game Show. / Paper cups, object and worksheet.
Is this coin biased? / Students to investigate a statement about tossing a coin. / Coins and worksheet.
One in Three or One in Two? / Student to investigate a statement about tossing two coins. / Coins and worksheet.
Why Seven? / Students to investigate a statement about rolling two dice and adding the scores. / Dice and Worksheet.
Paper, Scissors or Rock / Students to investigate the fairness of a version of the traditional paper, scissors or rock game. / Worksheet.
Why one? / Students to investigate the fairness of a game involving dice differences. / Dice and worksheet.
Who is right? Veni or Mary.
You need to investigate the situation to provide evidence to support your decision as to who is right. Outline below how you will investigate the situation. Record your results of your investigation below also.
What do you think of Moana’s theory?
Justify your comments from above. You may decide to use experimental or theoretical probability in your justification.
Are you surprised at Cathy’s result?
Explain in more detail why you were surprised or not at Cathy’s result. You should back up your explanation with experimental or theoretical probabilities.
Follow up activity.
Play the game and then answer the following question.
Where is it best to place your counters? (Why?)
Play the game a couple of times with a partner. The winner is the first one to 10 points.
Who won?
Is the game fair?
What does “fair” mean in this situation?
Why is the game fair or why not? Support your answer with theoretical probabilities.
Restructure the game so that it is fair. Write down the new rules here.
Why is the game fair now?
What are the other ways that the game could be played and still be fair?
Play the new game with a partner a couple of times. Are the results more fair now?
Investigate if the game is fair. Write details of how you will do this. Record your results.
Who wins the most games?
Show why this is the case using theoretical probabilities.
Explain how the game could be made fair.
Some contestants play by the rule “always change your mind” and others play by the rule “never change your mind”.
Which of these two rules do you think might be more successful?
Play the game 10 times with the contestant “always changing her mind” and 10 times with contestant “never changing her mind”. Record successes and failures for both sets of 10 trials. Find the percentage of successes when playing by each rule.
Which choice is more successful than the other?
Justify why one of this choice is more successful than the other.
Board for Why Seven? Follow Up Activity
Player One
2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12Player Two
2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12Board for Why Seven? Follow Up Activity
Player One
2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12Player Two
2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12