Students in Advanced Quantitative Reasoning created a carnival in the cafeteria this week to test their knowledge of probability. 

“So the unit discusses scale factors and probability,” AQR teacher Scott McGarrh said.”The games are repeated over and over again so that students have some sense of where to begin with their data. From there, it’s up to them to try to calculate the probability on a bigger scale.”

Creating a game that balanced and the potential for for financial gain was the goal for senior Hattie Northrip.

“I worked with my group to come up with a game that would be considered entertaining and technical enough that we would be able to calculate the probability for it,” Northrip said. “The next class period, we would take the results of the game and try to calculate how much revenue we would make if it was a legitimate carnival game.” 

Ultimately, the goal for McGarrh was to bring the class together in addition to properly learning the lesson. 

 “The project helps the students understand a sense of teamwork and also allows them to analyze their revenue and monetary terms in the statistical realm of probability,” McGarrh said.

For Northrip, the carnival was the perfect way to wind down after a long period of work. 

“After we built our model, all we had left to do was to relax and play the game,” Northrip said. “The best part was having other people enjoy the game. It really served as a break from all the stress that students may have been experiencing. It was great to understand that what we learn in school can actually be applied in unique and interesting activities.”