Purdue MM150 2020 September Unit 9 Discussion Latest

MM150 Survey of Mathematics

Unit 9 Discussion

Probability

Probability originated from the study of games of chance. Games of chance can involve coins, dice, playing cards, a game spinner, etc. For this discussion, you will conduct an experiment using a coin, and then use the results of the experiment to learn more about probability and odds.

Initial Response Post

Your friend Jacob goes by the mantra “tails never fails”. You are going to use this Discussion to test this theory.

Name your favorite musician, actor, author or artist and do an internet search to find his or her age. Flip a coin one time for each year the person is old. If s/he is 43, flip the coin 43 times. Record the number of tails you obtain.

Use your results to state the empirical probability that the coin will land on tails expressed as a fraction, a decimal, and a percentage. Round your answers to two decimal places, if necessary.

Based on your experiment, did you find that “tails never fails”? Explain the difference between theoretical and empirical probability to your friend Jacob. In your explanation, state the theoretical probability of getting a tail when flipping a coin and compare it to the empirical results you got from your experiment.

Review an example of an initial response for this Discussion.

Peer Reply 1

Experimental probability gets closer to theoretical probability the more times you do an experiment. Find a classmate’s post that has not been replied to. Combine the results from your initial response post with your classmate’s results and recalculate the empirical probability of getting a tail when flipping a coin. Did the combined results get you closer to the theoretical probability of getting a tail when flipping a coin? Explain.

Use the combined data to also calculate the odds in favor of getting a tail when flipping a coin showing all your steps.

Review an example of a peer reply 1.

Peer Reply 2:

Find a thread in the Discussion Board that you find interesting and join the conversation by replying to a post. Post several sentences on this topic that are thoughtful and advance the discussion mathematically.

Discussion Overview/Directions

In this unit’s Discussion, you will interact with your classmates on the course content. Remember, your goal for Discussion Assignments is to ensure that:

Responses are on topic, original, and contribute to the quality of the Discussion.

Responses make frequent, informed references to unit material.

Responses are clearly written.

You submit two or more Discussion Board replies to classmates as described in the Discussion Question that are thoughtful and advance the Discussion.

Keep in mind that when you post, you should include references to the textbook and any material found online. The class is all about sharing knowledge, so use Discussions as a way of creating a community resource for yourself and your classmates.