Human vs. Machine: Unveiling Randomness with Data Visualization and Stats

Venessa N. Singhroy and Rommel Robertson, Queensborough Community College

Overview of Lesson

Students will learn about the concept of randomness and see how human decision-making contrasts with computer-generated choices. They will also explore the law of large numbers through graphs and be exposed to the Chi Square Goodness-of-Fit test. This lesson also incorporates technology by using Google Forms and Google Sheets.

This is an accessible lesson for students in high school (grades 10–12). Students should have experience collecting and organizing data in a readable format and graphing that data.

Download: Lesson Plan in PDF and Word

Download: Instructor Handout: Google Forms Creation Instructions in PDF and Word

Download: Student Handout: Instructions for Chi Square Goodness-of-Fit Test

Download: Student Handout: Instructions for Creating Bar Charts

Download: Student Handout: Randomly Selecting Names and Counting Frequencies in Google Sheets