Christy Hovanetz, Ph.D., is a Senior Policy Fellow for ExcelinEd focusing on school accountability and math policies.
December 4 is National Dice Day, so it’s not too random that today we take a look at the oldest known gaming implement.
Dice have been around since before recorded history, so their exact origin is unknown. The earliest known dice, unearthed in the Indus Valley, date back to around 3000 BCE. Dice-like predecessors made of sheep bones were found in a tomb in modern-day Iran, dating to around 6000 BCE.
A single dice, called a die, is a polyhedron, most traditionally a six-sided cube with spots on each side. The spots are arranged in standard patterns and placed so that spots on opposite sides always add up to seven: one and six; two and five; three and four. Modern dice are often made of plastics instead of stone, bone or ivory, yet they typically retain their spot patterns. That’s because the invention of dice pre-dates the adoption of Arabic numbers.
There’s a good probability that you’ve deduced there’s a connection between dice and math!
For many millennia, dice have been used worldwide for fun and games. Yet in the 16th century, an Italian physician and inventor, Girolamo Cardano, began studying dice games using mathematical analysis—and his own unlucky experience with gambling—to conceive the concepts of randomness and probability. It wasn’t until 100 years later that his work was published, but Galileo, among others, arrived at the same mathematical conclusions. Until then, the common belief was that a roll of the dice fell the way they did because of the indirect action of gods or supernatural forces.
Probability is simply a way to express how likely something is to happen.
Stated mathematically, the probability of an event is a ratio. For example, the probability of rolling a die showing one spot is 1/6. The probability ratio is shown as a fraction (fractions again – they’re important!), where the numerator equals the desired outcome, and the denominator equals the total possible outcomes.
Note that the probability is zero for an event that’s impossible to happen. The probability is one for an event that is certain to occur.
Probability is used in many different settings. It’s how insurance rates are set, and it helps experts make weather forecasts, medical diagnoses, financial planning decisions, energy consumption estimates, election polling predictions and many other kinds of information.
Probability is one of the basic tools of statistics and must be understood before grasping statistical decision procedures. It’s become a substitute for absolute certainty in modern science, business and even everyday life.
Don’t leave student learning and an understanding of probability to chance. Implement a comprehensive K-8 math policy using ExcelinEd’s fundamental principles and a comprehensive K-8 math model policy. Based on findings from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, these resources will enhance the odds of improved student achievement. Doing nothing could be dicey!
