Problem of the Week
Problem A
Coins vs. Dice

You are playing the newest board game Ticket to Clue. The goal of the game is to collect as many tokens as possible. When you land on a Chancey square you must pay 1 token for an opportunity to win 3 tokens. This Chancey square gives you two choices.

Coin Option

• Flip two identical coins.
  Record which faces land up.

• If the faces match, you WIN.
  If the faces don’t match, you LOSE.

Dice option

• Roll two six-sided dice.
  Find their sum.

• If the sum is 7 or greater, you WIN.
  If the sum is less than 7, you LOSE.

1. Experiment with each option. Try flipping coins and rolling dice at least 20 times each. Based on your experiments, which option would you choose?

2. Do you think the results of your experiments determined the best choice? Justify your answer.

3. If the Dice Option was changed so you were required to pay 15 tokens with a chance to win 17 tokens, would that change which option you would pick? Explain your choice.