Final Project

Instructions

Step #1) Select a candy that comes in a bag, which has randomly colored pieces.  (Ex: M&M’s, Skittles, Star Bursts, Gummy Bears/Worms)  Make sure it has at least 50 pieces, or buy a few bags, and combine them.  (If you have trouble gaining access to the materials, just let me know, and I will be able to assist you.)

EXAMPLE:

I have decided to use a bag of M&M’s

Step #2) Select a random candy and record it’s color in a table.  Put it back in the bag, shake it up and select another.  Do this 25 times.  You will use this to calculate your experimental probabilities.

EXAMPLE:

Step #3) If there were 1,000 pieces of candy in a bag, how many of each color would you expect to find?

EXAMPLE:

Red: = (.16)(1000) = 160

Blue: = (.20)(1000) = 200

Yellow: = (.12)(1000) = 120

Green: = (.20)(1000) = 200

Orange: = (.20)(1000) = 200

Brown: = (.12)(1000) = 120

Step #4) Count how many pieces of candy are actually in your bag, noting the number of each color; use this to calculate the theoretical probabilities.

EXAMPLE:

My bag contained 57 M&M’s

Step#5) Compare the theoretical probabilities to the experimental probabilities by:

• Describing any similarities and differences.
• Justify why you think there are differences and/or similarities.
• Which do you think is more accurate, theoretical or experimental probability? Why?
• What could you do to make either of these probabilities more accurate?
• How would you do this experiment differently?

EXAMPLE:

(This is the part where you have to think, of course…)

Submission Requirements:

• All you need to turn in is your parallel to the example provided, with the addition of discussing the five questions at the end.  Your answers to those five questions can be as brief as you would like.
• Everything must be submitted in ONE .PDF file,