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Adjustable Spinner

  • Classroom Resources / Illuminations

    Adjustable Spinner

    Grade:

    Change the number of sectors and increase or decrease their size to create any type of spinner. Then, conduct a probability experiment by spinning the spinner many times. How does the experimental probability compare with the theoretical probability?

    This interactive is optimized for your desktop and tablet.

    Activity

    Instructions

    Features

    • Click the AdjustableSpinner IMAGE IncreaseArrow and AdjustableSpinner IMAGE DecreaseArrow buttons to change the number of sectors.
    • Adjust the sliders AdjustableSpinner IMAGE Slider to change the size of the sectors.
    • Change the name of each sector by clicking on the text, under the column, "Color."
    • Click the Pie Chart button AdjustableSpinner IMAGE PieChartButton to see a experimental graph. (It is interesting to leave this open as you continue to spin the spinner. The pie graph is automatically updated with each spin.)

    How to Use

    To run an experiment, enter a number in the "Number of spins" box. Then click Spin. The experimental and theoretical probabilities will be shown in the table. Hit the Spin button repeatedly to get more trials, or hit Skip to End, after hitting the spin button once, if you would like for all the spins to generate.

    To start over, click Reset.