The dice game Farkle provides an excellent basis for four activities that reinforce probability and expected value concepts for students in an introductory statistics class. These concepts appear in the increasingly popular AP statistics course (Peck 2011) and are used in analyzing ethical issues from insurance and gambling (COMAP 2009; Woodward…

Tossing a fair coin 1000 times can have an unexpected result. In the activities presented here, players keep track of the accumulated total for heads and tails after each toss, noting which player is in the lead or whether the players are tied. The winner is the player who was in the lead for the higher number of turns over the course of the game.…

In the criminal justice system, defendants accused of a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Statistical inference in any context is built on an analogous principle: The null hypothesis--often a hypothesis of "no difference" or "no effect"--is presumed true unless there is sufficient evidence against it. In this…

The author describes an activity where prospective mathematics teachers made hypotheses about the dimensions of a fair cylindrical die and conducted experiments with different cylinders. He also provides a model that estimates the probability that a cylinder would land on the lateral surface, depending on the height and diameter of the cylinder.…

An activity using a game-related setting is presented for students to investigate probability and statistics.

Three experiments which use probabilities to approximate pi are described. (JT)

The probability of selecting two matching socks is discussed. (MNS)

Techniques that students can use to make predictions about performances in the Olympics include point estimation. This is used to estimate a single value using a set of data. A worksheet for students is included. (MNS)

Activities are described for a probability unit in which the Markov process is studied and applied to the weather. (DT)

Four answers to a probability problem involving a perceived coincidence are discussed. (MNS)

Annual records of the one-mile sun can be used to introduce a variety of statistical ideas including the scatter diagram, theoretical vs. observed values, and normal equations. (SD)

Activities in which the claims of psychics are evaluated can be used in probability classes. (SD)

Solutions to a problem on seating arrangements and one on a box-office situation are discussed; a statistical approach is used. Four computer programs are included. (MNS)

Use of the computer to simulate or imitate probability problems that are difficult to analyze in any other way is discussed. How the Monte Carlo method works is clarified, with sample problems and programs. (MNS)

Intuitive ideas of probability are introduced through real-life situations. Discussion topics and activities are both included. (MNS)