We present a fun activity that can be used to introduce students to error analysis: the M&M game. Students are told to estimate the number of individual candies plus uncertainty in a bag of M&M's. The winner is the group whose estimate brackets the actual number with the smallest uncertainty. The exercise produces enthusiastic discussions and serves as a good “mixer” for the first day of a laboratory class.
Topics
Education
REFERENCES
1.
Saalih
Allie
et al., “Teaching measurement in the introductory physics laboratory
,” Phys. Teach.
41
, 394
–401
(Oct. 2003
).2.
Candy can also be used for statistical activities; see
Chuck
Stone
, “‘Sweetening’ technical physics with Hershey's Kisses
,”Phys. Teach.
41
, 234
–237
(April 2003
).
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© 2007 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2007
American Association of Physics Teachers
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