Mr. J Gallagher
Introduction to Probability
Uses in Real Life:
Sport
A soccer player steps up to take a penalty and has a good idea, based on
past performance, whether he’ll score or not. Lots of similar examples.
Board Games
If you are using a game spinner with four sections – red, blue, green and
yellow – you have a 25 percent chance of landing on red, since one of the
four sections is red. What are the odds that you’re going to roll one die
and get an even number?
Medical Decisions
If you are told you need surgery, you’ll want to know the success rate of
the operation. Based upon the statistics, you can make an informed
decision whether or not it’s a good choice for you. You might decide
whether or not to begin a course of medication, based on other patients'
positive outcomes or side effects.
Car Insurance
Car insurance companies look at your age and driving record when
deciding your premium rate. If they see you’ve had several accidents, the
likelihood is that you might have another one. In that case, your rates will
be higher than a safe driver's.
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is based upon the number of years similar groups have
lived in the past. These ages are used as guidelines by entities such as
financial advisers to help clients prepare for their retirement years.
Weather
If you are planning an outdoor event such as a wedding, you’ll want to
check the probability of rain. Meteorologists predict weather based upon
patterns that have occurred in previous years. Temperatures and natural
disasters such as tornadoes, floods and hurricanes factor into forecasts.
Mr. J Gallagher
Teaching Strategies:
Key Information
Make spinner / dice / coin / colour marbles
Students can make these object and they will be used to answer questions
Pairwork
Students can make up their own questions in pairs
Quiz
Twister / Jenga
Posters