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Domino Pick

Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star
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Erik and Sanjay have these dominoes laid out:
 
dominoes 0-1, 0-2, 0-3, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-2, 2-3, 3-3

They pick a domino in turn.

Erik can only choose dominoes which have an odd number of spots in total.
Sanjay chooses the dominoes which have an even number of spots.

How many will they each be able to pick up? Is this fair? Why?

Now they change the rules. They lay out the dominoes again.

Erik can only choose dominoes where the total number of dots is a multiple of $3$.
Sanjay chooses the dominoes where the total number of dots is not a multiple of $3$.

Who is able to pick up the most dominoes now? Is this fair? Explain your answer.


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Terry and Ali are playing a game with three balls. Is it fair that Terry wins when the middle ball is red?

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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