Exploring Probability using Applets

Probability is one of my favourite area for exploration. I love to do probability experiment with my students of class 10. In my earlier years of teaching I used to actually experiment using a dice , a pair of die ,rolling them 200 times , 500 times. It was time consuming. But now, with the available applets on web, it has become easier and far more interesting . One may take as many readings on just clicking a mouse. Here is list of my favourite Applets.

• Birthday Applet - Try it... In a group of 23 (or more) randomly chosen people, there is more than 50% probability that some pair of them will have the same birthday. For 57 or more people, the probability is more than 99%, tending toward 100%.
• Tossing a coin Applet - Toss a coin as many times and calculate the probability of getting a Head or a Tail.
• Spinner Applet - An interesting one to experiment on probability of spinning.
• Racing Game with two dice
• Marbles Applet

eways Probability

In class X C.B.S.E. Mathematics syllabus, the concept of Probability is introduced for the first time to the students. The students more or less cram the idea and do the questions using the formula. But when they actually experiment on probability they ask the questions like I tossed the coin two times and both the times head appeared so the probability of getting a head is 1 instead of 1/2.

I think this way they will not correctly learn the actual probabilty concepts. To make them understand the actual meaning and interpretation of probability,in my classroom teaching of probabilty I have used the probability Applets given on the web for generating the readings.

E.g. if a coin is tossed 100 times then how many times a head appeared and how many times a tail appeared.Then I ask my students to compare the results with the results which they have learned.

And if we increase the number of throws to 200, 300 or more then the students can actually learn the correct interpretation of probability.

I have designed various probability problems. I am sharing some of them.

Throw a pair of die 200 times .Note down the readings. Calculate the probability of the following

getting sum more than 8 on both the dies.

getting a multiple of 3 on first die .

getting prime number on both the dies.

getting an even sum

I have used the following links for generating the readings.

Dice Applets
http://www.math.csusb.edu/faculty/stanton/m262/intro_prob_models/intro_prob_models.html
http://people.hofstra.edu/Stefan_Waner/tutorialsf2/dicesim.html
http://www.joma.org/images/upload_library/4/psol/DiceExperiment.html

http://leepoint.net/notes-java/examples/graphics/rolldice/rolldice.html

Coin applet
http://www.wiley.com/college/mat/gilbert139343/java/java04_s.html
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/bookapplets/chapter1/CoinTosses/CoinTosses.html