This displays the Getting started on page 323.

This activity could lead on to a discussion about how to decide if the game is fair or not, based on how many outcomes favour each player.

Ask students to share their answers with a partner or group and discuss the answers with their reasons.

Why do we need to know about probability? (This activity could be used as a starter for any of the sections in this chapter or at the end of a lesson.)

Start a class discussion on who might need to know the probability of an event happening as part of their job. Examples include weather forecasters, casino operators, and people who make decisions based on the chances of particular events happening, such as “Shall we continue work on the roofing of the building tomorrow?” (What are the chances of it raining?)

This displays a set of events and asks students to put the likelihood of them occurring in order.

One event is impossible, one has an even chance of happening and one is certain.

Students are then asked to think of other events and their probabilities that are likely to be between the events they have already put in order.

For example, students might decide that the probability of it raining in the next hour is between an even chance and certain.

The also provides cards for the given probabilities.

You could ask pairs or groups of students to write an event on a card and then get students to 'negotiate' the order of the probabilities of the events occurring so that the students end up standing in a line.

Two probability experiments with results are given.

Students are asked whether or not the results are what would be expected.

What do you expect? (This activity could be used just prior to one of the Practicals on pages 329, 330 or 331.)

This takes you to a probability experiment.

You could first work out the possible totals using a table.

You could ask questions about what students expect the results to look like and then run the simulation.

https://nrich.maths.org/6123

This displays 10 cards for you to print. Each card has a probability written on it.

Examples of the cards: The probability that the first person to arrive at school tomorrow will wear glasses.

The probability of getting a head when you toss a coin.

Ask students to sort the cards into two piles.

Pile 1 Someone could work this out without doing an experiment or collecting data.

Pile 2 Someone would have to collect data or do an experiment to find this out.

Note: See the teacher notes on this section for further explanation.