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In search of Monet

In search of Monet is presented as an adventure, a series of games where students imagine that they are taking a trip to France to find out about Monet and his work. Students create a trip diary, postcards, souvenir shop items such as T-shirts and shopping bags; a Monet exhibition and catalogue; and a quiz, exploring a ...

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'Southern Sun' above Sydney Harbour Bridge, 1931

This is a gelatin silver-toned composite photograph measuring 32 cm x 25.5 cm, created by E.W. Searle. The Avro-10 Southern Sun plane piloted by Charles Ulm celebrated the arrival in Sydney of aviatrix Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Amy Johnson had crash landed in Brisbane and was flown ...

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Should you swap?

This lesson explores the classic probability problem, commonly known as the Monty Hall problem: having chosen what you think is the winning door with the money behind it, should you swap to another door when Monty offers you the opportunity? Students will first use probability language to define the problem. Students will ...

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Back to the books

In this lesson, students will explore how bookmakers set odds, and how these odds are carefully determined in order to guarantee the bookmaker the best chance of making a profit. Students learn how to convert between odds and probabilities and calculate the expected profit or loss based on odds. The lesson is outlined in ...

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Prediction vs. reality

This lesson explores how we perceive randomness. Students toss coins and record their observations while half of the class fake their results. They will then explore the differences between the random results and fake results sets and investigate theoretical probabilities for large numbers of coin flips. The lesson is outlined ...

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Easter Show games of chance

In this lesson, students will calculate the probability of an average person scoring a shot at a basketball game at the Easter Show. They will then use these probabilities to design a payout system which can absorb the losses from an average player winning big, whilst profiting from the average player who scores very poorly, ...

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Counter-intuitive probability

This lesson is designed to demonstrate the ways in which random chance can be counter-intuitive. Students will explore how assumptions made in probability can be risky and investigate how to perform precise calculations to answer probability questions. The lesson is outlined in detail including NSW curriculum links, learning ...

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Sports betting

In this lesson students will take ownership of a gambling organisation. They will look at long term statistics of various sporting matches to set the initial odds and then monitor live betting to adjust the odds they are offering gamblers, in order to demonstrate how sports betting organisations guarantee they always make ...

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Can you beat the system?

In this lesson, students calculate the average expected value of losses on a roulette wheel over time, and use these values to analyse the cost of gambling on these games. They also study the flaws inherent in betting systems to determine whether these systems are weighted in the favour of game operators making a profit. ...

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Lotto mania

In this lesson, students will simulate a lottery, and perform calculations to determine the small probability of their exact numbers being drawn from a lottery. They will also consider the financial investment that would be required to guarantee a lottery win, ultimately determining that such a strategy would end up costing ...

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Assessment task: Non-transitive dice

This assessment includes a number of questions to enable students to demonstrate their understanding and learning in probability. Students will be asked to explore the outcomes of a set of non-transitive dice using probability tree diagrams, and discover their unique features. The assessment task is outlined in detail including ...

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What’s the cost?

This lesson explores gambling losses by comparing losses to other average household purchases. Students then explore how this money could be more profitably invested in a compound interest scheme over time. Finally, students are asked to critically reflect on the true social and financial cost of gambling and to consider ...

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Two-up - The fairest game of all?

In this lesson, students look at the history and mathematics of Two-Up, exploring why it is considered such a fair game, and how the ‘boxer’ or game runner makes a profit. The lesson is outlined in detail including NSW curriculum links, learning intentions, discussion points, materials required, links to supporting videos ...

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Poker machines (simulation)

This lesson explores how poker machines work and what is meant by the term Return to Player (RTP) percentage. Students run simulations to determine how small betting amounts can lead to a large cumulative loss over time and examine how reinvesting profits or wins from playing the poker machine back into the machine has ...

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Poker machines

In this lesson, students design a poker machine payout system which both guarantees a return of 85% of money invested, while also being fun and engaging for the player. Students then simulate these machines to test the ‘actual’ or real world payout of such machines, taking note of their feelings when playing. Ultimately, ...

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Assessment task: Chuck-a-Luck

This assessment includes a number of questions to enable students to demonstrate their understanding and learning in probability. Students will be asked to investigate an old gambling game known as Chuck-a-Luck. They will calculate the probabilities of each betting option and their expected values. The assessment task is ...

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Loot boxes

In this lesson, students will create their own video game concept, complete with a loot box system. They will then calculate the probability of obtaining all unique items to form a complete set, considering the challenges this random system entails and how the gambling system inherent could lead to unexpected losses. The ...

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Lucky lottery

In this lesson, students play a simple lottery game, analyse their odds of winning and how this influences the decisions they made. Students determine the differences between experimental and mathematical probability, conduct a simulation modelling an event and critically evaluate the odds of winning the lottery. The lesson ...

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Multi-bets

In this lesson, students will calculate both the payout and the odds for various multi-bets, demonstrating how even this increased payout does not match the probability of achieving such a bet, and therefore the risk and appeal of the bet should be weighed up. The lesson is outlined in detail including NSW curriculum links, ...

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How does gambling on the races work?

This lesson simulates the operation of a bookmaker to illustrate to students how easy it is to get swept up in the excitement of a race, and to show how the bookmakers are always coming out having made a profit. The lesson is outlined in detail including NSW curriculum links, learning intentions, discussion points, materials ...