The Price is Right Bidder's Row and games provide many opportunities for mathematical connections. The Price is Right website has videos or pictures for students to see how each game is played (http://www.priceisright.com/games/). This article will describe the mathematics of probability and statistics that is integrated in the famous television…

By the time students reach the middle years they have experienced many chance activities based on dice. Common among these are rolling one die to explore the relationship of frequency and theoretical probability, and rolling two dice and summing the outcomes to consider their probabilities. Although dice may be considered overused by some, the…

The famous Birthday Problem is a staple in introductory probability texts and can be stated as follows: What is the probability that at least two persons from "n" randomly chosen persons have the same birthday? In this article, the author suggests an adaptation of the birthday problem which can be repeated in class until the full effect…

This article compares the definition of "box plot" as used in the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics" with other definitions used in the education community; describes the difficulties students experience when dealing with box plots; and discusses the elaboration that is necessary to enable teachers to develop the knowledge…

There is much to be learned and pondered by reading "Proofs and Refutations" by Imre Lakatos (Lakatos, 1976). It highlights the importance of mathematical definitions, and how definitions evolve to capture the essence of the object they are defining. It also provides an exhilarating encounter with the ups and downs of the mathematical reasoning…

Shares experiences of teaching probability from a constructivist perspective. Discusses the role of cognitive conflict, teaching the unit, and evaluation processes. (ASK)

The use of matrix multiplication in the theory of Markov chains is demonstrated without directly discussing any probability theory. The technique that is developed is applied to ratio and mixture problems that are in changing states. (JP)

This article describes a project in which certain key concepts in probability were explored using graphics calculators with year 10 students. The lessons were conducted in the regular classroom where students were provided with a Casio CFX 9850 GB PLUS graphics calculator with which they were familiar from year 9. The participants in the…

Describes ways of thinking about probability and some common student misconceptions. Suggests ways of addressing students' misconceptions and illustrates these ideas with an example. (ASK)

Presents sports-oriented examples (cricket and football) in which Monte Carlo methods are used on microcomputers to teach probability concepts. Both examples include computer programs (with listings) which utilize the microcomputer's random number generator. Instructional strategies, with further challenges to help students understand the role of…