"Is Rock, Paper, Scissors a Fair Game?"

1. Task

   1. Background:
      You are on the Games' Review Committee and your responsibility is to determine the fairness of a particular game under development by your company.  You must use your knowledge of methods related to determining theoretical and experimental probability to accomplish your task.  Finally,  you must write a statement verifying the fairness of the game.

   2. Alignment to Standards:
      Data and Logic Standard for Grade 8: Compare the experimental results with the theoretical expectations of probability experiments involving independent and dependent events.  Language Arts Standard for Grade 8: Writes Persuasive Essays.

   3. Purpose:
      The committee will apply concepts of probability to experiences that simulate real life applications.

   4. Audience:  The Quality Control Board of you company.

2. Access Information: Procedure Analyze & Organize

   1. Procedures:

      Directions: Your group will hand in one paper. Work should be done on a separate sheet of paper. Answers, which require written explanations, should be done in paragraph form using proper grammar (Mr. Goad-quality work).

      1. With a partner, play the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors".  Record the number of times Player A wins, the number of times Player B wins, and the number of ties.

      2. Create a table that summarizes the results of the "Rock, Paper, Scissors" game for your class. The table should include the results for each group (Player A wins, Player B wins, Ties), as well as a total for the class as a whole

      3. Find the experimental probability for each outcome (Player A wins, Player B wins, Ties) for your class as a whole. Show your work for each calculation. In a sentence or two, explain how you computed each of these probabilities.

      4. Create a "tree diagram" which generates all of the possible outcomes for this game. List those outcomes (the sample space).

      5. Compute the theoretical probability for each outcome (Player A wins, Player B wins, Ties). In a sentence or two, explain how you computed each of these probabilities.

      6. Write a brief essay that answers the question "Is Rock, Paper, Scissors a Fair Game?" Base your answer on the results of our in-class experiment and the theoretical probabilities you computed earlier. The essay portion of this assignment will be graded using the rubric given to you earlier this year (the same one we use for Problem Solving).

   2. Resources:  

      Need to enter Textbook or information to reference the Rock, Paper, Scissor Game.

3. Produce & Deliver: Assess, Evaluate, & Modify

   1. Assessment List

      • View the Assessment List 

   2. Examples of Student Work by Standards [Grade 8 Probability]

 Next Step: Please click on the student group level below you want to view.

• Sample of Below Standard

• Sample of At Standard

• Sample of Above Standard

3. Feedback [View after viewing student work]

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Revised: 07/08/2005