Statistics: Probability with Coins and Dice
Exploring chance with heads, tails, and number cubes
Statistics: Probability with Coins and Dice
Exploring chance with heads, tails, and number cubes
Statistics - Grade 2-3
- 1
A fair coin has two sides: heads and tails. If you flip the coin one time, what are the possible outcomes?
The possible outcomes are heads and tails. There are 2 possible outcomes in all. - 2
A fair coin is flipped one time. Is getting heads certain, impossible, or equally likely as getting tails?
Compare the number of heads sides to the number of tails sides.
Getting heads is equally likely as getting tails because a fair coin has one heads side and one tails side. - 3
A number cube has the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. If you roll it one time, how many possible outcomes are there?
There are 6 possible outcomes because the number cube can land on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. - 4
You roll a fair number cube one time. Is rolling a 7 possible or impossible? Explain.
Look at the numbers on a regular number cube.
Rolling a 7 is impossible because a standard number cube only has the numbers 1 through 6. - 5
You roll a fair number cube one time. Which is more likely: rolling an even number or rolling a 6? Explain.
Count how many even numbers are on the number cube.
Rolling an even number is more likely. There are 3 even numbers, 2, 4, and 6, but there is only 1 way to roll a 6. - 6
You flip a fair coin 10 times. Predict about how many times you might get tails. Explain your thinking.
You might get tails about 5 times because heads and tails are equally likely on a fair coin. - 7
A bag has one coin and one number cube. You will flip the coin and roll the number cube. Which outcome uses both tools: heads and 4, tails only, or 3 only?
One result should come from the coin, and one result should come from the number cube.
The outcome heads and 4 uses both tools because it tells the result of the coin flip and the number cube roll. - 8
You roll a fair number cube one time. Is rolling a number less than 7 certain, likely, unlikely, or impossible? Explain.
Rolling a number less than 7 is certain because every number on the cube, 1 through 6, is less than 7. - 9
You roll a fair number cube one time. Which has a better chance: rolling a number greater than 4 or rolling a number less than 4? Explain.
List the numbers that fit each group.
Rolling a number less than 4 has a better chance. The numbers less than 4 are 1, 2, and 3, which gives 3 outcomes. The numbers greater than 4 are 5 and 6, which gives 2 outcomes. - 10
Maria says, 'If I flip a coin two times, I will definitely get one heads and one tails.' Is Maria correct? Explain.
Think about what could happen on the first flip and the second flip.
Maria is not correct. She might get one heads and one tails, but she could also get two heads or two tails.