Integrated
Maths Activities
Number Strategy Problems
Strand Problems
Probability and Spinners Week 9
WALT
- make predictions based on the fraction of the spinner shaded
- identify all possible outcomes of an event
- assign probabilities to simple events using fractions
Success Criteria:
- Look at the size of the areas within the spinner and decide whether they are even, bigger or smaller.
- Know that the spinner is most likely to land on the biggest part and elast likely to land on the smallest part.
- Know that the number of even pieces a spinner is divided into will tell you the bottom number of the fraction that is the probability of getting one section.
- Recognise that tipping or incorrect spinning will make the spinner unfair.
The spinner is used to represent two different cars that are racing along a track of ten spaces, with each spin determining which car moves forward one space towards the finish line. It will ask you to predict which car will win the race when using different spinners.
1) Play the game with not equal areas.
Predict which car will be ahead after 10 spins. Which one won? Do that three times.
What did you notice?
2) Play again with equal areas.
Predict which car will be ahead after 10 spins. Which one won? Do that three times.
What did you notice?
Now you get to test and make your own spinner.
3) Make an even 2 coloured spinner.
- Predict which colour you are mostly likely to get after it has been spun.
- Were you correct?
- What happened after 10 spins?
- Predict what you will see after 100 spins and 1000 spins.
- Run the trails, what did you notice? Were your predictions correct?
4) Now build more spinners. Build one with three and four parts. Make predictions and test them. Record what you found out.
In this game you will have a selection of spinners. Decide which two spinners will land on the same colours most of the time.
Pick your two spinners.
Run the tests.
What did you notice?
Which spinner was more likely to land on red?
Which spinner was more likely to land on blue?
Describe what they look like.
Which spinner had an equal chance of getting red or blue.
Describe what it looks like.
Complete the activity
Draw a picture of the spinner you created.
Which colour are you most likely to get when it is spun?
Follow the instructions to make your own spinner.
Create a game that uses a spinner. Create a fair spinner and an unfair spinner. Get other people to test the game. What do you they think of the two spinners?
Creating Your Own Spinner 1
The easiest spinner ever!
Draw a circle divided into segments in your maths book. Place a pencil through a paper clip and hold it in the middle of the circle. This allows you to spin the paper clip round the pencil.
