Precalculus: Exponential Dice

Objectives

• Students will analyze data determined by a simulation involving tossing dice.
• Students will find and analyze exponential growth and decay functions.
• Students will model with mathematics.
• Students will try to make a connection with how to understand these topics in IB Mathematics courses and on their final assessments.

Vocabulary

• exponential decay function
• exponential growth function
• half-life
• doubling time
• simulation

About the Lesson

This lesson involves using a simulation to generate data that can be modeled by exponential growth and decay functions.

As a result, students will:

• Apply this information to real world situations by fitting a function to data using simulation, regression and theoretical analysis, and analyzing properties of growth and decay functions (i.e. doubling and half-life).