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Chance of That

Age 16 to 18
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow starYellow star
  • Problem
  • Getting Started
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This is an open investigation. It can be taken to various levels of complexity and note that the construction of non-trivial examples is, in itself, difficult.

I was looking at two seemingly random lists of 12 whole numbers chosen from 1 to 5. The sample correlation was exactly zero.
 
Convince yourself that such a list of numbers is possible. Can you get a feel for the properties of such lists?
 
Explore the properties and frequencies of such lists of numbers, perhaps varying the two numbers involved.
 
 
For more investigations see our Stage 5 pages.
 


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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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