Calculating Pi with Sticks Experiment

Calculating Pi with Sticks Experiment

Assessment

Interactive Video

Mathematics

9th - 10th Grade

Hard

Created by

Thomas White

FREE Resource

The video tutorial explains how to calculate pi by dropping sticks on a table with parallel lines. The challenge involves predicting whether sticks will land crossing a line or not. Surprisingly, the ratio of crossing to non-crossing is not 2 out of 3, but 2 out of pi. This method allows for calculating pi to infinite precision with enough trials, a task now efficiently handled by computers.

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7 questions

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1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the main concept introduced in the video?

Calculating Pi by measuring circles

Calculating Pi using a mathematical formula

Calculating Pi by throwing sticks on a table

Calculating Pi using a computer program

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the setup required for the Pi calculation experiment?

A table with circles and sticks of random lengths

A table with lines and sticks of varying lengths

A table with no lines and sticks of any length

A table with lines and sticks of a specific length

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the challenge in the experiment?

Predicting the number of lines on the table

Predicting the length of the sticks

Predicting whether sticks will cross the lines or not

Predicting the number of sticks that will break

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What was the initial observation about the sticks crossing the lines?

None of the sticks crossed the lines

Almost two out of three sticks crossed the lines

All sticks crossed the lines

Most sticks did not cross the lines

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the actual ratio of sticks crossing the lines?

3 out of 4

2 out of Pi

1 out of 2

2 out of 3

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What does the experiment imply about calculating Pi?

Pi cannot be calculated using this method

Pi can be calculated with a few trials

Pi can be calculated to an infinite number of digits with enough trials

Pi is always 3.14

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

How do computers contribute to calculating Pi?

They make the process slower

They provide inaccurate results

They calculate Pi to a high degree of precision

They are not used in this process