A practical approach to probability in the context of a science fair

Abstract

In a society that generates information rapidly, schools have to fulfil their programmes imaginatively. Thus, extra-curricular activities may be helpful for the students to acquire wider knowledge than that they may get within the classrooms. On the other hand, randomness is present in almost all everyday decisions, mainly based on prior information so it is important to have at least a rough idea on how specific events may affect the chances of other events. We explore both ideas here in the context of a science fair, in which two high-school senior students conducted an investigation about conditional probability using a game called “Shut the box”. We also want to pose, as a research question, if, after their participation in the science fair, these students have reached higher levels in probabilistic reasoning compared to their classmates or have acquired knowledge about concepts far beyond the official curriculum.