Vocabulary

Simulation – an experiment that is designed to model the action in a given situation.

Concepts

Choosing a simulation model.

Rules

1. Read the problem.
2. Decide which simulation would represent the problem. For example, flipping a coin represents 2 possible outcomes, rolling a dice represents 6 possible outcomes, and the number of sections on a spinner could represent an equal number of outcomes.
3. If there is more than one event in the problem, you may need multiple simulation events.

Example

There are 5 true-false questions on a quiz. How could you simulate the outcome of guessing on all of the questions?

Solution

The heads and tails of 5 coins represent the true/false option for the quiz questions.

Answer: Flipping 5 coins

Pre-requisite Skills

Probability of a Compound Event (6.9.3)