Tossing coins and dice

Aim

To show that the relative frequency gets closer to the theoretical probability as the number of trials grows.

Apparatus

• A coin
• A die
• A tally sheet

Method

1. Choose the coin or the die.
2. Toss it and tally the results.
3. Keep tossing: 10, 100, 1000 and so on.
4. Work out the relative frequency = count ÷ number of trials.
5. Compare it with ½ (coin) or ⅙ (die).

Conclusion

With few trials the result jumps around. With many trials the relative frequency settles near ½ (coin) or ⅙ (die): that is the probability.