Rolling Dice Investigation

An investigation for combinations of possible outcomes, finding that there are more ways of getting some results, and introducing sample space diagrams.

Students predict the results when rolling one and then two dice, and share results to build up a larger more reliable data set. There are then extension activities that they may choose from.

Opportunities for students to:

• Make predictions
• Use the concept of ‘expectation’
• Consider that a larger data set is more reliable and gives better predictions than a smaller one
• Consider whether individual dice might be biased, if this comes up in results
• Learn about sample space diagrams as an efficient way to list combinations of outcomes
• Extend the investigation to dig deeper into an aspect of their choice

This investigation easily fills a whole lesson.