In the typical high school mathematics class half the students like probability. Intuition tells them how to calculate probabilities and how to develop probabilistic models. The other half find the subject unfathomable. In this course we will attempt to uncover some reasons for this dichotomy and to develop strategies for dealing with it.
We will consider specific problems, and develop the rules, concepts and techniques of probability as we solve them.
We will try to develop correct and effective intuition for use in understanding and computing interesting probabilities. We will place little emphasis on the formalities of the subject; in particular we will not assume the student has had a previous course in probability or statistics.
Prerequisites: An interest in, and reasonable manipulative skill with senior level high school mathematics. The course is open to all, but the target audience is present or prospective high school teachers who might wish to include a segment on probability in a senior honors section of Mathematics.