Situation Simulated
Resources for this lesson:
You will use your Algebra II Journal 
on this page.
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Now let’s join Khalid and Justyce. They have finished their mathematics homework and are watching the debut game of the newly formed Blackbirds baseball team. At the bottom of the first inning, M and W Bank announces that they will donate $250 to the Maryland State Department of Education for every home run the Blackbirds hit in the game.
Justyce: My mom went to lots of ball games growing up. She says a major league baseball player has a 1 in 35 chance of getting a home run each time he gets a hit.
Khalid: Wow, that’s pretty neat. I wonder if we’ll see a home run tonight.
Check Your Understanding
Design and conduct a simulation to determine the potential pay-out M and W Bank will have to donate to the Maryland Department of Education.
Assume that the probability from Justyce’s mother is true and the Blackbirds players have a 1 in 35 chance of hitting a home run each time they get a hit. Choose a simulation tool that can be used to simulate a hit resulting in a home run.
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A random number generator would be best to use.
Describe how you would set up your chosen tool to simulate whether a hit results in a home run.
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If you selected a random number generator, you need to set it to generate the numbers 1 – 35. Let the number "1" represent getting a home run, and numbers "2" through "35" being not a home run.
A major league baseball team averages 9 hits per game. Using this information, describe one trial in your simulation. (Hint: One trial will represent one game.)
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If you selected a random number generator, you need to generate nine numbers for one trial. These nine numbers each represent a chance of a hit resulting in a home run.
Conduct one trial of your simulation.
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Your trial should contain nine random numbers between 1 and 35. For example, a trial may look like this:
22 35 18 2 34 8 12 10 26.
(Each of the nine numbers represents a hit.) In this sample answer, with a "1" representing a home run, no home run was hit in this game.
Algebra II Journal: Reflection 1
Using the design of your simulation, respond to the following reflection questions in your Algebra II Journal and submit to your teacher.
- Design a table to record 20 trials. Include a column that will state if a home run was hit in each of the 20 trials (i.e., 20 games).
- M and W Bank announces they will donate $250 to the Maryland State Department of Education for every home run the Blackbirds hit in the game. Based on the results of your simulation, what could M and W Bank expect to pay out for one game? Be sure to use the results of your simulation to support your answer. Submit your answer in your journal.
