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Project Summary
| Difficulty | 5 |
| Time required | Average (about one week) |
| Material Availability | Readily available |
| Cost | Very Low (under $20) |
| Safety | No issues |
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Sponsor
| Sponsored by a generous grant from Motorola |
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Abstract
You're playing Monopoly with a friend, and you've already got Park Place and you really, really want to get Boardwalk. If you're on Pacific Avenue, what are the chances you'll reach your goal? Here's an easy project that will show you how to find out.Objective
The purpose of this project is to test the probabilities of rolling certain combinations of dice in roll-playing games. Are you more likely to roll a sum of at least 18 with 3 ten-sided dice or 5 six-sided dice?
Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research
In order to properly do this experiment, you will need to understand the basics of probability theory.
Bibliography
There are many sites on the internet that explain basic probability theory. This site takes you step by step throught the basics that you will need to understand in order to estimate the likelihood of getting a certain outcome on the dice:
http://library.thinkquest.org/11506/learn.html
This site specifically talks about applying probability theory to rolling dice:
http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/56498.html
Materials and Equipment
- 3 ten-sided dice
- 5 six-sided dice
Experimental Procedure
Procedures:
- Roll each combination of dice 100 times.
- Record the results of each roll.
- Determine the probability of getting a sum higher than 18 for each combination of dice when rolling each combination 100 times.
- Which combination has a higher probability and was this true when you rolled them?
Variations
Test the probabilities of getting 21 using a deck of cards.
- For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Pure Mathematics Project Ideas.
Last edit date: 2005-08-31 14:59:52
Career Focus
If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Pure Mathematics.
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Statistician Statisticians use the power of math and probability theory to answer questions that affect the lives of millions of people. They tell educators which teaching method works best, tell policy-makers what levels of pesticides are acceptable in fresh fruit, tell doctors which treatment works best, tell builders which type of paint is the most durable. They are employed in virtually every type of industry imaginable, from engineering, manufacturing, and medicine to animal science, food production, transportation, and education. Everybody needs a statistician! |
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