Lab 2 Instructions-2

You can download the Turn In File Download Turn In File here.  Use it to fill out the probability tables and copy and paste the bin summary tables required for the lab.  After you have all the answers for the questions in Parts 1 and 2 and the bin summary table page for Part 1, fill in your answers and upload the file in Lab 2 Answers (quiz).

I highly recommend that do this Lab with a group. There is more work here than in previous labs and you can check each other's work to avoid errors.

MATH 15 - LAB 2

The Probability of Rolling Dice and Review of Graphs

Part 1

Consider the experiment of rolling a pair of dice and recording the sum.

    1. Let x = the sum of a pair of dice being rolled. Construct a table that displays the probability distribution of x, similar to the table below. You can find a version of this table in Word that you can use in the Turn In File linked above.  Round probabilities to four decimal places.

      x 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
      P(x)
    2. Use Excel to simulate rolling a pair of fair dice 200 times and record the sum.  Then, create a table of the relative frequencies. Round relative frequencies to four decimal places.
    3. Use Excel to simulate rolling a pair of fair dice 20,000 times and record the sum.  Then, create a table of the relative frequencies. Round relative frequencies to four decimal places.

Use the simulations to fill out relative frequency tables like these below (you can use the Turn In File linked above.):

200 rolls x 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
P(x)
      and
20000 rolls x 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
P(x)

Note:    After this step, you should have three probability tables.  Then answer the following two questions in the quiz. You will only have one chance to fill in the answers to this lab:

  1. Which simulation better corresponds to the true probabilities?  Be specific in your analysis. Explain your reasoning.  This is asking you to directly compare, number by number, the relative frequencies in the two simulations to the corresponding true probabilities. (The Law of Large Numbers should NOT be used in this answer.)
  2. Should you have expected to see the results that you did indeed see?  Why should you have expected such results?

Note:    Be sure to include with your lab file the Excel printout of the summary “bin” tables of your simulations. Copy and paste them into Word document to upload.  Do NOT turn in the pages and pages of data that support those Excel tables.

Part 2

Find a graph that is used in an article from a newspaper, journal, magazine, or some other official publication on the internet. Be sure it is a type of graph that we have studied in class.  You will answer the following questions in Lab 2 Answers.  If you can, copy the image and paste into the Lab 2 Part 2 Answers.  You will have only one chance to fill in the answers.

  1. From where did you get the graph? What was the name of the article from which the graph was taken and from what source was the article taken?  Include the URL where you found the article. Be specific and include a date of the publication, if relevant.
  2. What type of graph is displayed?
  3. In one paragraph, clearly explain what the graph is telling you in the context of the article.
  4. Do you think the graph was effective in conveying the information? Explain.