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Listed under:  Mathematics  >  Statistics and probability  >  Probability
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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 9: The giraffe ate it

When something has no chance of happening we say its impossible. Sometimes the chance of something happening is unlikely. Listen to these excuses explaining why the host did not do his homework. Which of his excuses might the teacher think, the chance of this happening is ... 'possible'?

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Catalyst: Probability and the birthday paradox

Even when a maths problem seems simple – for example, the chance of two people sharing a birthday – the maths can run counter to our human intuition. Mathematician Lily Serna poses a maths problem to the Clovelly Bowling Club: how many people do you need to gather to get a 50 per cent chance of any two people in that group ...

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What Are the Chances?

Do you know what chance is? It's the probability or the likelihood of something happening. Watch this video as Grace explains the probability of picking a red marble out of a bowl. What's the probability of picking a green marble?

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Numbers Count: Chance and playing with dice

Have you ever played a game that required you to roll a dice? Did you know that you have equal chances of rolling any of the six numbers? Can you think of another experiment where you have an equal chance of getting one result or the other?

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Catalyst: Magical maths

At first glance, maths and magic might not appear to have much in common, but did you know that you can use maths and logic to come up with solutions to problems that can seem magical? Learn one such maths trick in this video from ABC Catalyst. What is the probability of the letter not being 'e'?

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MathXplosion, Ep 8: Birthday probability

What is the probability there are at least two people in your class who have the same birthday? If you have at least 23 people in your class, the chances are good. Find out the maths behind this theory.

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Big data, better hospitals

Overcrowding in hospitals is one of the biggest challenges facing our healthcare system . In order to reduce hospital waiting times, the Patient Admission Prediction Tool (PAPT) uses historical data to predict how many patients, and with what kinds of injuries, are expected to arrive at the emergency department each day ...

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Catalyst: Probability and the gambler's fallacy

Mathematician Lily Serna visits Luna Park to explain a great probability pitfall. She shares a century-old tale from Monte Carlo casino, and then she puts its lesson to the test. If you flip a coin and it lands on heads three times in a row, what result would you predict for the next flip? Find out why intuition might land ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 49: The probability of finding matching socks

Check out this probability puzzle that requires you to weigh all the possibilities. Pick the most likely outcome when confronted with a drawer full of loose, unpaired socks! How did Eric come up with a matching pair?

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reSolve: Probability - Rock Paper Scissors

In this sequence of two lessons, students determine their chances of winning the game 'rock paper scissors', then test their chances by playing against another player and in a simulated game. Students look at the psychological aspect of the game and recognise that there is a strategy to increase your chance of winning. ...

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TIMES Module 11: Statistics and Probability: chance, year 6 - teacher guide

This is a 17-page guide for teachers. It continues the development of probability. A careful consideration of outcomes and equally likely outcomes is undertaken. Experiments involving known probabilities are considered and what is observed is compared with what is expected. This is carried out with both small and large ...

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TIMES Module 12: Statistics and Probability: chance, year 7 - teacher guide

This is a 13-page guide for teachers. It continues the development of probability. A careful consideration of outcomes and equally likely outcomes is undertaken. In year 7, students revisit simple situations with a clear and easily listed number of possible outcomes that can, or may, be assumed to be equally likely. In ...

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Binomial distribution

This is a teacher resource for the binomial distribution consisting of a website and a PDF with identical content. It contains discussion of Bernoulli trials and the mean and variance of the binomial distribution. It provides examples of where the binomial distribution is applicable.

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Inference for proportions

This is a teacher resource for inference of proportions consisting of a website and a PDF with identical content. It contains discussion of how probability is used in statistical inference, the sample proportion as an estimator, the sample proportion as a random variable, population parameters and sample estimates, and ...

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Introduction to probability

This is a website designed for both teachers and students in year 5, and addresses components of the probability topic. It is particularly relevant for discussing chance experiments where the probability of events is equally likely and for describing those events using fractions. There are pages for both teachers and students. ...

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Count Us In, Ep 12: Will it Rain Today?

What is the chance for Flynn and Dodly that it will rain at the beach? Dodly takes his umbrella and gumboots just in case it rains, and his scarf and gloves in case it gets cold. Explore the language of chance with the two monsters. What is the chance Dodly will pick a blue lolly out of the bag of four lollies?

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Comparing chance

A simple interactive simulation in which students compare probabilities.

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reSolve: Probability

This sequence of four lessons explores probability in real world situations including advertising, games and population sampling. Students calculate probabilities, represent probabilities as fractions, decimals and percentages, perform chance experiments with small and large sample sizes and graph their results, examine ...

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Thumb wrestling tournament

In this introductory activity students use a simple thumb-wrestling tournament to analyse a series of matches in which there can only be one victor. Students work in small groups to explore different ways of mapping out the events of a tournament, introducing the concept of constructing sample spaces and tree diagrams as ...

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Always, sometimes, never

This is a web resource that includes four student activities focusing on chance and the language associated with chance events, accompanied by activity sheets and a detailed teacher guide for each activity. The activities cover words associated with chance and likelihood, fairness, luck and superstitions, and ordering chance ...