Using Technology to Conduct a
Simulation
Warm Up
There is a 30%
chance that
T’Shana’s
county will
have a drought
during any
given year.
She performs a
simulation to
find the
experimental
probability of
a drought in at
least 1 of the
next 4 years.
A simulation is useful in modeling experimental
probabilities when an actual trial is too difficult,
time-consuming, or costly to perform. A simulation
is designed so that its outcomes reflect ways that
outcomes occur in the real world. Each possible
outcome must be linked to one or more random
numbers. Coins, number cubes, spinners, random
number tables, and random number generators can
be used to generate random numbers for a
simulation. Note that as more trials of the
simulation are performed, the experimental
probabilities will more closely approximate the
theoretical probabilities associated with the
experiment.
In a survey of 100 male
and 100 female students, 52% of
females and 38% of males
responded that they exercise at
least 3 times per week. Find the
theoretical probability that a
randomly selected student from
the survey group exercises at least
3 times per week.
Every contestant on a game show has a 40% chance of
winning. In the simulation below, the numbers 1–4
represent a winner, and the numbers 5–10 represent a
nonwinner. Numbers were generated until one that
represented a winner was produced.
Over a 100-year period, the probability that a hurricane struck Rob’s
city in any given year was 20%. Rob performed a simulation to find an
experimental probability that a hurricane would strike the city in at
least 4 of the next 10 years. In Rob’s simulation, 1 represents a year
with a hurricane.