Lesson 3: Games of Chance

About 30 minutes — Activity-based lesson

What You Will Learn

This lesson covers:

What makes a game fair: each player has an equal chance of winning
Unfair games: when probability favors one player
Designing spinners with different probabilities
Activity: design a spinner where one color is twice as likely as the others

What makes a game fair: each player has an equal chance of winning

This section covers the key ideas about what makes a game fair: each player has an equal chance of winning. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Unfair games: when probability favors one player

This section covers the key ideas about unfair games: when probability favors one player. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Designing spinners with different probabilities

This section covers the key ideas about designing spinners with different probabilities. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Activity: design a spinner where one color is twice as likely as the others

This section covers the key ideas about activity: design a spinner where one color is twice as likely as the others. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Check Your Understanding

1. What makes a game 'fair'?

Answer: Each player has an equal probability of winning. If one player wins 60% of the time, the game is unfair — even if it feels random.

2. How can you tell if a spinner is fair?

Answer: Check if all sections are equal size. Equal sections = equally likely outcomes. Bigger sections have higher probability.

3. Can a game feel fair but actually be unfair?

Answer: Yes! Randomness makes short-term results unpredictable. You might win 5 coin flips in a row even though it is a fair game. Over many tries, the true probabilities emerge.

4. How do you design a spinner where blue is twice as likely as red?

Answer: Make the blue section twice as large as the red section. If red is 1/4 of the spinner, blue should be 2/4 (1/2).

Key Takeaways

What makes a game fair: each player has an equal chance of winning
Unfair games: when probability favors one player
Designing spinners with different probabilities
Activity: design a spinner where one color is twice as likely as the others

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