The Birthday Problem

Highlights of the activity

1. For this activity, students are asked how old they are and when their birthday is.
2. The class data can be used to calculate a series of statistics, including the average age, the standard deviation, and the probability that two individuals in the class have the same birthday.

Reasons to spend class time on the activity

When students first begin learning quantum mechanics, the subject is difficult to grasp because most quantum mechanical processes are not able to be visualized. This activity provides students the opportunity to practice evaluating important statistical values with simpler data than a quantum mechanics problem would. This activity will also provide students a more understandable example to relate to when analyzing quantum mechanical processes.

Reflections

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Instructor's Guide

• Wiki version