Activity for Theoretical and Empirical Probability Topic Index | Algebra2/Trig Index | Regents Exam Prep Center

Activity from the SED Sample Tasks:

Activity:  Random Numbers and Coins

Use a random number generator to generate five hundred random numbers which will simulate tossing a fair coin.  Let an even number represent the result of the coin coming up heads, and an odd number represent the result of tails.

Generate a second list of five hundred random numbers to represent a second toss of a fair coin.

Use the two lists of random numbers to compute the following empirical probabilities for the compound event of tossing two coins:
P(head, tail), P(both the same), P(both different).

Compute the following theoretical probabilities for the same experiment:
P(head, tail), P(both the same), P(both different).

How do the empirical and theoretical probabilities compare?