1.  Start with a square sheet of paper.

2.  Fold the paper as shown in the diagram at the left.  Number each of the sections.

3.  Have students drop an object (paper clips, bottle tops, or poker chips) from a height of about one foot over the center of the target.

4.  The object must land on the target and be positioned primarily in one section of the target in order to be recorded.

Once the data is collected, students can:

  • compare their empirical probabilities with the theoretical probabilities.

  • determine the probability that one number would be hit on EVERY drop.

  • determine the probability of the object landing on 3 OR 7.

  • determine how MORE trials would affect the relationship between the empirical and theoretical probabilities.

  • determine the probability that the first three drops will all be 6.