Activity Overview
Students explore experimental probability and patterns in fractions, decimals, and percents by rolling two number cubes and recording and analyzing the sums that come up.
Before the Activity
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print student activity sheet page 118 from the attached PDF for your class
During the Activity
Distribute the page to the class.
Follow the activity procedures:
Determine the number of different sums possible if you roll the number cubes and add the numbers that come up together
Verify the suggested number of sums by analyzing the possible combinations that can be made with the numbers on two different number cubes
Predict which sum will come up the most if the number cubes are rolled a large number of times
Have all students roll the number cubes 50 times and tally the sums that occur
Have them record their results in fraction, decimal, and percent form
Analyze the results and decide whether to revise the predictions concerning which sum will come up most often
Ask each student to record his or her results on a class graph in which each tally represents more than one piece of data
Record the class results using fraction, decimal, and percent representations
Analyze the patterns in the results
After the Activity
Review student results
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary