Published: May. 10, 2005 at 10:03 PM EDT|Updated: May. 10, 2005 at 10:04 PM EDT
Johnson High students spent part of the day picking up pocket change from the school stage. One hundred thousand pennies, worth $1,000.
It was all actually a math project that turned into a whole lot of fun. And it's a lesson students say the won't soon forget. They had to individually count each coin to learn a lesson about probability.
"We should eventually get closer to half being heads, half being tails," explained teacher Tracey Wolfer.
The pairs of students took their places on the now-glittering floor and jumped right in. "It's cool we get to get out of class," said student Long Doan.
The tally forms started out small and then grew. And after two hours, students say the work became "tedious."
And as the piles diminished, it actually became harder. Picking pennies off up the floor was pretty hard, making a new challenge.
But the 50/50 results were beginning to show on the tally sheets. And that's what teachers say is the whole point.
"They see a teacher all the time throw out a bunch of theories and ideas, but until they make it their own and believe it, it's hard to convince them," noted teacher Rex Demers.
Until, of course you throw $1,000 in pennies at the students and the theory turns out to be correct, making the hard work pay off. The final tally:
Heads--49,397
Tail--50,547
With 57 lost pennies
Coastal Exteriors donated the use of the pennies.
Reported by: Kim Angelastro, kangelastro@wtoc.com
