Urgent! Homework problem - need helps! Pleeeesszzz!
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It's not my homework and it's nothing to do with computers. I just need an idea and I need it in the next four hours! My eldest daughter is making a game for a school project. We've done most of it (actually I did the layout for her and she coloured it in). We've made lots of pretty counters and we know how the game will work. Even my three year old monster-angel (tm) understands. Now for the problem... We've been using dice, but (i) I'm not overly happy about it and (ii) I don't want her take the few dice we have to school and loose them. I thought I could find a few dice in one of the shops. Not on your Aunt Nelly's Life! So any ideas guys? Something a six year-old can make and use that will allow a bit of chance in travelling around what is basically a simple maze.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
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Use 6 pennies. Have the kids shake them in a cup, and pour them on a table. Count the number of heads.
Software Zen:
delete this;I understand the problem right, we need to find a substitute for throwing a dice. Probability of getting each one number on a dice is 1/6 ... one out of six ... something like 16.6% But when you throw six pennies, you have to use different formula for probability. That is: P(x) = (n above x) × p^x × (1-p)^(n-x), where n is number of pennies ... in our case 6, x is number of favorable events ... heads in our case, and p is probability of one favorable event ... in our case, heads or tails, 0.5 long story short :) Probability of getting 1 is 0,09375 Probability of getting 2 is 0,234375 Probability of getting 3 is 0,3125 Probability of getting 4 is 0,234375 Probability of getting 5 is 0,09375 Probability of getting 6 is 0,015625 Plus, there is probability of 0.015625 of getting 0
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I believe 6 pennies matches the behavior of a single die, at least sufficiently for the purposes of a kid's game.
Software Zen:
delete this;Not even close to a regular die.
Odds: 0 = 1/64 1 = 6/64 2 = 15/64 3 = 20/64 4 = 15/64 5 = 6/64 6 = 1/64 -
It's not my homework and it's nothing to do with computers. I just need an idea and I need it in the next four hours! My eldest daughter is making a game for a school project. We've done most of it (actually I did the layout for her and she coloured it in). We've made lots of pretty counters and we know how the game will work. Even my three year old monster-angel (tm) understands. Now for the problem... We've been using dice, but (i) I'm not overly happy about it and (ii) I don't want her take the few dice we have to school and loose them. I thought I could find a few dice in one of the shops. Not on your Aunt Nelly's Life! So any ideas guys? Something a six year-old can make and use that will allow a bit of chance in travelling around what is basically a simple maze.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
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Just use a pencil. I don't know about your area, but where I'm from, most of the pencils are hexagonal. So you just write numbers 1 - 6 on each side and throw the pencil.
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Not even close to a regular die.
Odds: 0 = 1/64 1 = 6/64 2 = 15/64 3 = 20/64 4 = 15/64 5 = 6/64 6 = 1/64You've got to consider the audience here. This is for a kid's game. That means you've got to be able to explain how it works and the rules to a kid. KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. I doubt it matters that the distribution is not the same as with a regular die. Come to think of it, it does not matter. As long as the probability of each player getting the value of a particular 'roll' is the same as every other player's probability of getting that same roll, then the gameplay is fair.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
You've got to consider the audience here. This is for a kid's game. That means you've got to be able to explain how it works and the rules to a kid. KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. I doubt it matters that the distribution is not the same as with a regular die. Come to think of it, it does not matter. As long as the probability of each player getting the value of a particular 'roll' is the same as every other player's probability of getting that same roll, then the gameplay is fair.
Software Zen:
delete this;I did consider the audience. I didn't discount the fact that it was close enough for a kids game. I don't know any 6 year olds that read this forum. I discounted the fact that YOU mentioned that 6 coins in a cup closely modeled a standard die. ;P
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It's not my homework and it's nothing to do with computers. I just need an idea and I need it in the next four hours! My eldest daughter is making a game for a school project. We've done most of it (actually I did the layout for her and she coloured it in). We've made lots of pretty counters and we know how the game will work. Even my three year old monster-angel (tm) understands. Now for the problem... We've been using dice, but (i) I'm not overly happy about it and (ii) I don't want her take the few dice we have to school and loose them. I thought I could find a few dice in one of the shops. Not on your Aunt Nelly's Life! So any ideas guys? Something a six year-old can make and use that will allow a bit of chance in travelling around what is basically a simple maze.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
You're kidding, right? You can get a box of dice at your local discount store for almost nothing--certainly for less than the effort it would take to come up with some lame work around.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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I did consider the audience. I didn't discount the fact that it was close enough for a kids game. I don't know any 6 year olds that read this forum. I discounted the fact that YOU mentioned that 6 coins in a cup closely modeled a standard die. ;P
As long as we're being pedantic here (and we are), I stated: "I believe 6 pennies matches the behavior of a single die, at least sufficiently for the purposes of a kid's game." The behavior in question is that of somewhat randomly choosing a value from one to six (I'll admit I missed the zero case), which is what matters as far as the game is concerned. The part of the statement in bold qualifies the first part.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
How about a "spinner"? a hexagonal peice of card with something along the lines of a toothpick or small pencil through the middle (taking appropriate health and safety precautions!), each side represents a number 1-6, give it a spin and whichever side it comes to rest on dictates the next move. It will give her a bit more colouring in to do too!
;-]
Very clever! :-D I was going to suggest something involving a chunk of cheese and a small rodent...
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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As long as we're being pedantic here (and we are), I stated: "I believe 6 pennies matches the behavior of a single die, at least sufficiently for the purposes of a kid's game." The behavior in question is that of somewhat randomly choosing a value from one to six (I'll admit I missed the zero case), which is what matters as far as the game is concerned. The part of the statement in bold qualifies the first part.
Software Zen:
delete this;Gary Wheeler wrote:
As long as we're being pedantic here (and we are)
Of course we are. Do we do anything else around here ;P
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It's not my homework and it's nothing to do with computers. I just need an idea and I need it in the next four hours! My eldest daughter is making a game for a school project. We've done most of it (actually I did the layout for her and she coloured it in). We've made lots of pretty counters and we know how the game will work. Even my three year old monster-angel (tm) understands. Now for the problem... We've been using dice, but (i) I'm not overly happy about it and (ii) I don't want her take the few dice we have to school and loose them. I thought I could find a few dice in one of the shops. Not on your Aunt Nelly's Life! So any ideas guys? Something a six year-old can make and use that will allow a bit of chance in travelling around what is basically a simple maze.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
williamnw wrote:
My eldest daughter is making a game
williamnw wrote:
We've done most of it
williamnw wrote:
actually I did the layou
I see a recurring problem here - your eldest isn't making a game for hte school project - you are (although you seem to have let her do some painting - good on ya!) I'd be surprised if there aren't dice at school - kids will be familiar with dice from otgher games, so otehr forms of numerical randomisers can actually be less simple to them than using a dice - and if she takles tehm in and leaves them at school - buy some more! If you really don't want dice, other options are spinners (like a clock - number roundthe outside, some form of spinning pointer in the middle) but is hard for a 6 year old to fashion on that spins well, hexaganol spinners (much easier to make although you'd need to draw the hexagon - but hell, you done the rest of it :) you can use a short pencil for the axis. You can also use a sheet of paper, with large squares (or any shapes) drawn on, each with a number in. Roll a coin, or even a screwed up piece of paper, onto the sheet, and the number it lands on is the number - this does tend to be skill-driven though - and in my experience kids will try to cheat. Draw straws. Take however many straws (or strips of card) and write a number on one end - put them in a tub and draw on out - use the number. For younger kids (they see through it at six) you can use the 'daddies hand' method. Clench a fist, they tap your hand three times (one, two THREE!) and you open a number of fingers. That's all my ideas done for the day, and its only 8:00!
If I knew then what I know today, then I'd know the same now as I did then - then what would be the point? .\\axxx (That's an 'M')