For a chip dropped in slot 5 to end up in the $10,000 bin, the chip must fall to the left exactly 6 times (Y = 6). If the chip hits a wall of the board, then it moved to the left or right at least 8 times, and could not end up in the $10,000 bin.

  1. So having anything other than a Price is Right inspired party just didn’t seem right. They don’t exactly have that party theme available to buy at Walmart, so I had to get a little creative. Besides, when your little girl loves The Price is Right more than anything, you just kind of make it happen!
  2. OMG, I have watched the Price Is Right for years, when ever I am not working. My mom is 86 years old and she watches it every day. I would love to go on the show for my mom.

Amy Biesterfeld
University of Colorado at Boulder

Journal of Statistics Education Volume 9,Number 3 (2001)

Copyright © 2001 by Amy Biesterfeld, all rights reserved.
This text may be freely shared among individuals, but itmay not be republished in any medium without expresswritten consent from the author and advance notificationof the editor.

Key Words: Classroom activity; Master Key; Plinko; Probability applications; Range Game.

Abstract

The Price is Right is a popular U.S. television gameshow in which contestants play product-pricing games in order to win prizes. Games involve some knowledge ofprices, but many involve the element of chance as well. This paper describes a classroom activity I have designedto help teach probability concepts to students in an upper-level course. It is based on the television gameshow The Price is Right. This exercise is designedto help students better understand basic concepts such asprobability rules, common distributions, and expectations. The exercise is intended for an upper-level statisticscourse, but could easily be adapted for use in anintroductory statistics course as well. This paperdescribes The Price is Right classroom activity indetail. Student evaluations of the activity are alsoincluded.

1. Introduction

The use of classroom activities in an elementarystatistics course is quite common. There are eventextbooks designed to teach introductory statistics tostudents using an activity-based approach (Rossman and Chance2001; Scheaffer,Gnanadesikan, Watkins, and Witmer 1996). Some of theseactivities are also suitable for an upper-level probabilityand statistics course. However, there seem to be fewerwell-known classroom activities for an advanced course inprobability and statistics.

This paper describes a classroom activity I havedesigned to help teach probability concepts to students inan upper-level course. It is based on the television gameshow The Price is Right (TPIR). For readersunfamiliar with TPIR, Section 2provides an overview of the show. Section 3describes the classroom activity in detail. Section 4provides student evaluations. Section 5concludes with a discussion of the activity, including itsbenefits, possible improvements, and differences in theactivity that arise when adapting it to an elementarystatistics course.

2. An Overview of The Price is Right

TPIR is a popular U.S. television game show. Ithas been televised on CBS for over 25 years. The host ofthe show, Bob Barker, is a well-known and well-lovedpersonality in many American households. The currentformat of the show is as follows:

At the beginning of TPIR, four contestants arechosen from among the audience members to 'Come on down!'to Contestants' Row. The contestants then play a gamecalled 'One Bid.' The contestants are shown a prize, andeach provides a bid on how much the prize costs. Thecontestant whose bid is nearest to the price of the prizewithout going over wins the prize and leaves Contestants'Row to join the host on stage to play another product-pricing game. This game will involve someknowledge of prices (as did One Bid), but will usually involve the element of chance as well. With some good luckand pricing ability, the contestant will win furtherprizes. After the first pricing game ends, anotheraudience member is chosen to fill the vacancy inContestants' Row. Beginning with another game of One Bid,the entire process is then repeated. In all, sixdifferent pricing games will be played by six differentcontestants.

In addition to One Bid in Contestants' Row, there areother segments of the show in which contestants competeagainst each other. There are two 'Showcase Showdowns,' inwhich three contestants at a time compete against eachother for a chance to play in the final game. The winnersof the two Showcase Showdowns then compete against eachother at the end of the show for an opportunity to win ashowcase of prizes.

The competitive aspects of TPIR are interestingand well worth investigating. Coe and Butterworth(1995) give a thorough analysis of the ShowcaseShowdown. Analyzing the competitive games on TPIRinvolves determining each contestant's optimal strategy,and then computing each contestant's probability ofwinning the game if all contestants were to use theiroptimal strategies. Clearly, the analysis of a competitivegame on TPIR is much more involved than theanalysis of a pricing game played by an individualcontestant.

The classroom activity described in the next sectionfocuses on the simpler pricing games played by individualcontestants. Because of the probabilistic nature of manypricing games played on TPIR, one can findinteresting examples that illustrate basic concepts to students who are encountering probability for the firsttime.

3. The Classroom Activity

I used this classroom activity in a one-semesterprobability course. After covering a significant amountof material, we used this activity as an interesting way toreview what we had learned. I used one class period forthis activity, but the activity could be adapted to makethe actual class time shorter, if needed. Methods forshortening the activity are discussed in theconclusion.

Prior to performing this activity in class, Ivideotaped several episodes of TPIR and determinedwhich pricing games I wanted to use for the activity. Somegames required only pricing knowledge to win. Other gameswere too simple, such as choosing which of two productshad the higher price. I looked for games in whichquantifiable probabilities were involved, such as rollinga die or drawing chips from a bag. I then wrote shortdescriptions for each of these games, along with acorresponding probability question. Some examples of gamedescriptions and probability questions are provided laterin this section.

Using a television and VCR in my classroom, I began theactivity by showing students the beginning of an episode,starting with the initial four audience members beingcalled down to Contestants' Row through the conclusion ofthe first individual pricing game. We then analyzed thefirst pricing game together as a class.

Next, the students broke into small groups. Each groupreceived a written description of a different pricing gamefrom TPIR. At the end of the description, I posed aprobability question pertaining to this game. Groupsworked together on their problem for a short time.

Last, we reconvened and viewed a video segment of aparticular pricing game. A student representative from thegroup that worked on that pricing game then discussed theprobability question with the rest of the class andpresented the group's solution. We repeated this processfor each of the other groups.

As a side note, it is fun to interject variousinteresting trivia facts about TPIR during theactivity. These tidbits can be found on the web site forTPIR, www.cbs.com/daytime/price/. For instance, on a recent visit to this site, I learnedthat:

  1. There are approximately 69 different pricing gamesin rotation on TPIR game show. (The web site liststhe games but, unfortunately, does not providedescriptions.)
  2. There have been about 53 episodes in which all sixpricing games were won, and about 59 episodes in whichnone of the pricing games were won.
  3. The single most expensive prize won on the show wasa motor home worth more than $70,000.
  4. The biggest winner on TPIR was a student fromPepperdine College. She won a total of $88,865, whichincluded a Lincoln and a Porsche!

There are many different pricing games on TPIRwhich could be used in this classroom activity. Followingare descriptions for three pricing games chosenspecifically because each highlights a differentprobability topic:

  • MasterKey illustrates basic rules of probability,including the law of total probability and Bayes'rule.
  • TheRange Game illustrates continuous distributions,including the uniform distribution,
  • Plinkoillustrates the binomial distribution, expectations oflinear combinations of random variables, and conditionalexpectations.

For each of the three pricing games described below,corresponding probability questions and solutions areprovided. Note that there are several questions asked foreach pricing game. These questions vary in level ofdifficulty. You can choose which question to use based onthe level of your students and the amount of time theywill have to work on the problem.

3.1 Master Key

In this game, there are three prizes a contestant canwin: a small prize (e.g., a kitchen appliance), a mediumprize (e.g., a bedroom set), and a large prize (e.g., acar). Each of the prizes is 'locked up' and in order towin a specific prize, the contestant must use a key tounlock that prize. There are five keys randomly placedbefore the contestant. One opens the lock to the smallprize, another to the medium prize, another to the largeprize. Another key is a dud -- it does not open any of thelocks. The last key is the 'Master Key' which opens allthree locks.

The contestant has a chance to select up to two keys: He is shown a product for which two prices are given. Ifthe contestant chooses the correct price, he can select akey. This is repeated for another product. Thecontestant then takes the keys he has earned (if any) and tries them on all three locks. The contestant wins anyprizes that he unlocks.

3.1.1 Questions

Question 1: Assume thatthe contestant has no pricing knowledge of the twoproducts, and therefore his decisions of choosing thecorrect price for each product are independent and each has a 50% chance of being right. Compute the followingprobabilities:

  1. What is the probability that the contestant winsno prizes?
  2. What is the probability that the contestant wins aprize, but not the car? (That is, the contestant wins onlythe small and/or medium prize.)
  3. What is the probability that the contestant wins thecar?
  4. Given that a contestant has won the car, what is theprobability that he had earned only one key?

Question 2: Assume thecontestant's decisions of choosing the correct price foreach product are independent, and each has a probabilityp of being right. [Note: If the contestant has no pricing ability whatsoever, p = .5(his decisions are like random guessing). If thecontestant has perfect pricing ability, p =1 (his decisions are always correct). If thecontestant has some pricing ability, then .5< p < 1.]

As a function of p, determine the probabilitiesasked in Question1. What are these probabilities when p =.5? When p = 1?

Question 3: Assume thecontestant's decisions of choosing the correct price foreach product are independent. Let p1 bethe probability that his first decision is right, and p2 be the probability that his seconddecision is right. [Note: If the contestant has no pricing ability whatsoever, p1 =p2 = .5 (his decisions are likerandom guessing). If the contestant has perfect pricingability, p1 = p2= 1 (his decisions are always correct). If the contestant has some pricing ability, then .5< p1 < 1 and .5 <p2 < 1.]

As a function of p1 andp2, compute the probabilities from Question 1. What are these probabilities when p1 = p2 =.5? When p1 =p2 = 1?

3.1.2 Solutions

We will only look at the solution for Question 3,since Question2 is just a specific case of Question 3 (when p1 = p2 =p), and Question 1 isjust a specific case of Question 2 (when p =.5).

Consider the distribution for the number of keysearned, X, and the conditional probabilities forwhat prizes can be won given that X keys wereearned. Let's define three disjoint events based on theprizes won:

A = win no prizes,
B = win the small and/or medium prize but not the car, and
C = win the car

The distribution of X and conditionalprobabilities of A, B, and C givenX are displayed in a tree diagram (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Figure 1. Tree Diagram of the 'Master Key' Game.

The most difficult parts of the tree diagram forstudents to determine are the conditional probabilities ofB and C given that two keys were earned, thatis, determining P(B X =2) and P(C X =2). Given that two keys were earned, a contestant isguaranteed to win at least one prize, soP(A X = 2) = 0 andP(B X = 2) +P(C X = 2) = 1. Solvingfor P(B X = 2) issimple when considering the game as follows: There arefive keys from which the contestant can choose two. Thus,there are = 10 possible ways to choose the two keys, each ofwhich is equally likely to occur. Of the five keys, three result in not winning the car. Thus, of the ten possibleways to choose the two keys, = 3 ways result in event B occurring (winningthe small and/or medium prize but not the car). SoP(B X = 2) = 3/10and P(C X = 2) =7/10.

Using the tree diagram, P(A),P(B), and P(C) can be easilysolved:

Using Bayes' Rule, P(X = 1 C) can also be computed:

For the specific cases where the contestant has nopricing ability (p1 =p2 = .5) and perfect pricingability (p1 = p2= 1), these probabilities simplify as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Master Key Probabilities

Probabilityp1 = p2 = .5p1 = p2 = 1
P(A)14/400
P(B)11/403/10
P(C)15/407/10
P(X = 1 C)8/150

Looking at how the values for P(A),P(B), and P(C) change as a contestant's pricing ability (p) increases, it isapparent that a person's probability of winning in thisgame is influenced strongly by his knowledge ofpricing.

3.2 The Range Game

A contestant is shown a prize (e.g., a personalcomputer and desk). A range of possible values for the price of the prize is then revealed. Say this range isfrom $3,000 to $3,600. There is a window of width $150which highlights the bottom of the range. Thus, at thebeginning of the game, the window covers the region from$3,000 to $3,150. Slowly, the window begins moving through the range of possible values. The object of thisgame is to stop the window so that the price of the prizeis covered by the window. After the contestant stops thewindow, the correct price is revealed. If the price ofthe prize is highlighted by the window, the contestantwins the prize.

Note that for any single Range Game that is played,the price of the prize is a fixed value. However, thisvalue is not revealed to the contestant until theconclusion of the game. Thus, the price of the prize willbe considered as a random variable in the sense that it isunknown during the game and varies each time the game isplayed.

3.2.1 Questions

Question 1: Supposethe contestant has no idea what the correct price of theprize is. That is, the contestant assumes that Y,the price of the prize, is equally likely to be any valuebetween $3,000 and $3,600. If this assumption iscorrect,

  1. Compute the probability that the contestant will winthe prize if the moving range covers (x,x + $150) when it is stopped, where x($3,000, $3,450).
  2. Does any specific value of x maximize thecontestant's probability of winning? What is the maximumprobability of winning the prize, and at what value ofx is this obtained?

Question 2: Supposethe contestant believes that the price of the prize,Y, is most likely to be near the low end of therange. The contestant assumes the density function forY is given by

(1)
  1. If this assumption is correct,
    1. Compute the probability that the contestant will winthe prize if the moving range covers (x,x + $150) when it is stopped, where x($3,000, $3,450).
    2. Does any specific value of x maximize thecontestant's probability of winning? What is the maximumprobability of winning the prize, and at what value ofx is this obtained?
  2. Suppose that the contestant's belief about Y(namely, that it is likely to be low) is somewhatincorrect. The price of the prize is actually likely to benear the middle of the range and has the densityfunction
    (2)

    If the contestant uses the density function shebelieves to be correct (Equation 1) todetermine when to stop the moving range, what is heractual probability of winning the prize?

  3. Now, suppose that the contestant's feeling aboutY is very incorrect. The price of the prize isactually likely to be near the high end of the range andhas the density function
    (3)

    If the contestant uses the density function she believesto be correct (Equation 1) todetermine when to stop the moving range, what is heractual probability of winning the prize?

3.2.2 Solutions

For Question1, we are using the uniform distribution on theinterval ($3,000, $3,600). That is, YU(3000, 3600). Thus,

The probability of winning the prize is the same nomatter what value x is used. Thus, the maximumprobability of winning the prize is 1/4 and is obtained atany x between $3,000 and $3,450. In summary, if theprice of the prize is equally likely to be anywhere in theentire interval, it doesn't matter when the contestantstops the moving range -- the chance of winning the prizeis the same.

For Question 2, weare using a skewed-right distribution for Y, namely(1). Theprobability of winning the prize is now computed as:

This probability decreases as x increases from$3,000 to $3,450 (which we expect since the distributionof Y is skewed-right with the mode at $3,000). Thus, the probability of winning the prize is maximizedwhen the moving range is stopped immediately(x = $3,000), resulting in a 7/16 (or43.75%) probability of winning.

Now, suppose the contestant believes the distributionof Y to be given by (1), so shestops the moving range immediately at ($3,000, $3,150).

  • If the distribution for Y is actuallysymmetric, given by (2), then
  • If the distribution for Y is actually skewednegative, given by (3), then

Although Question 2used specific distributions for Y, it illustratesthe following general point about The Range Game: Ifthe contestant has good pricing ability and is able tocorrectly recognize where the price is most likely to fall(the mode of the distribution), the contestant will have a good probability of winning the prize. However, as thecontestant's pricing ability decreases (that is, as thetrue distribution for Y and the contestant's beliefabout the distribution become quite different), theprobability of winning the prize decreases.

3.3 Plinko

In the game of Plinko, a contestant is given a chip andhas the opportunity to earn up to four more chips. Todetermine how many additional chips will be given to thecontestant, she is shown four products. For each product,an incorrect price is given. The contestant must decidewhether the correct price is higher or lower than the onegiven. For each correct decision made by the contestant,one additional chip is earned. Thus, after this portionof the game, the contestant will have between one and fivechips to drop onto the Plinko board.

After the number of chips is determined, the contestantreleases the first chip from any of the nine slots at thetop of the Plinko board (illustrated in Figure 2). As thechip makes its way down the board, it will encounter 12pegs. If it encounters a peg that is directly adjacent toa wall, it simply falls in the only available direction. Otherwise, it falls to the left or right of the peg withequal probability. The chip will ultimately fall into abin at the bottom of the Plinko board, and the contestantwins the amount shown. This process is repeated for eachof the remaining chips, if any, for a chance to win up to$50,000 in cash. Because of the amounts involved, this isone of the most popular games on TPIR!

Figure 2.

Figure 2. Illustration of the 'Plinko' Board.

3.3.1 Questions

Question 1: Contestantswith multiple chips usually vary the slots from which theyrelease the chips. Does it matter where you start achip? To decide, answer the following questions:

  1. For each of the three middle slots at the top of thePlinko board (slots 4, 5, and 6), find the probability thata chip starting in that slot results in winning$10,000.
  2. If a chip is dropped in the middle slot of thePlinko board (slot 5), the amount won, U, has thefollowing distribution:
    (4)

    If a chip is dropped in either of the slots adjacent to the middle slot (slots 4 or 6), the amount won, V, has the following distribution:

    Compute E(U), the expected winnings for asingle chip dropped in slot 5, and E(V), theexpected winnings for a single chip dropped in slot 4 or6.

  3. Based on your calculations above, is it better fora contestant to drop a chip from the middle slot, or aslot just adjacent to the middle? Briefly explain. Whatdo you infer happens to the probability of winning $10,000and the expected winnings if a chip is dropped into a sloteven further from the middle?

Question 2: The middleslot at the top of the Plinko board results in the highestprobability of a chip winning $10,000. This probabilitydecreases as the slots become further away from the middleslot. The middle slot also has the highest expectedwinnings of any slot, with the expected winningsdecreasing for slots that are further from the middle. Thus, a contestant wise to the laws of probability wouldalways drop her chip(s) into the middle slot. (Interestingly enough, many contestants vary the slots from which they drop their chips, even using the outermostslots!)

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  1. If a contestant drops a chip into the middle slot ofthe Plinko board, the amount won from this chip,U, has the distribution given by (4) above.

    Compute the expected value and standard deviation forthe amount won for a chip dropped from the middleslot.

  2. Now suppose the contestant has x chips(x = 1, 2, ..., 5), and will drop each chip fromthe middle slot. Let T represent the total amountwon. Then ,where Ui is the amount won from chip i.

    Compute the E(T x) and SD(T x), the expected value and standard deviationfor the total amount won.

  3. Let the random variable X represent thenumber of chips the player gets to drop from the Plinkoboard. Beyond the initial chip which is given to thecontestant, suppose that each additional chip is earnedwith probability p, and that each chip is earnedindependently of the others. Note that if the contestant has no pricing ability, her decisions are equivalent torandom guessing, so p = .5. If thecontestant has perfect pricing ability, her decisions arealways correct, so p = 1. In general, .
    1. Compute E(X) and SD(X),the expected value and standard deviation for the number ofchips dropped into the Plinko board.
    2. Assuming that the contestant always uses the middleslot of the Plinko board, let T represent the totalamount won. Thus, ,where Ui is the amount won from chip i. (Note that X is now random, ratherthan a fixed value.) Compute E(T) andSD(T), the expected value and standarddeviation for the total winnings in Plinko. How do youranswers simplify when p = .5? Whenp = 1?

3.3.2 Solutions

We start by computing the probability that a chipdropped in the middle slot of the Plinko board (slot 5)will end up in the $10,000 bin. The chip will encounter 12pegs on the Plinko board and each results in the chipfalling to the left or right. Let Y = number ofpegs out of 12 that result in the chip falling to the left. Note that Y is not a binomial random variablebecause of the constraints imposed by the walls of thePlinko board. For instance, the chip cannot fall to theleft 12 times; thus P(Y = 12) =0.

For a chip dropped in slot 5 to end up in the $10,000bin, the chip must fall to the left exactly 6 times(Y = 6). If the chip hits a wall ofthe board, then it moved to the left or right at least 8times, and could not end up in the $10,000 bin. Thus, thecomplications that result from the chip hitting a wall donot affect computing the probability of Y =6. Thus, we may use the binomial distribution withn = 12 and p = 1/2to compute the probability of Y =6:

Similarly, if the chip is dropped from the slot just tothe left of the middle slot (slot 4), then it wins $10,000 only if the chip falls to the left exactly 5 times (and tothe right 7 times). Again, it is impossible for a chip starting in slot 4 to hit a wall of the Plinko board andstill end up in the $10,000 bin. Thus, no complications exist from the wall constraints of the Plinko board,so

A chip dropped from slot 6 (the slot just to the rightof the middle slot) has the same probability of winning$10,000 as a chip dropped from slot 4. This is simply dueto the symmetry of the Plinko board, and our assumptionthat pegs in the middle of the board have an equalprobability of the chip falling to the left or right.

Note that for the remaining slots along the top of thePlinko board, computing the probability of winning $10,000is complicated by the wall constraints. Typically,the wall constraints will affect computing the probabilityof landing in a particular bin when starting from aparticular slot. Hastings (1997, pp.93-95) gives an interesting analysis of Plinko which includes the determination of these probabilities.

Using slot 5, the expected winnings for a single chipis computed as

Using slots 4 or 6, the expected winnings for a singlechip is

Slot 5 has a higher expected value than slots 4 or 6. Thus, one should prefer to drop a chip from slot 5 sinceit results in a higher payoff, on average, over manyruns. In the long run, a contestant would earnapproximately $2,557.91 - $2,265.92 = $291.99more per chip by using slot 5 over slots 4 or 6. It seemsreasonable that the same pattern observed between slot 5and slots 4 or 6 would continue for the remaining slots: As slots become further away from the middle slot, theprobability of winning $10,000 and the expected winnings decrease. This has been shown by Hastings (1997, pp.93-95).

Using slot 5, the expected value for the winnings froma single chip was computed to be $654825/256, orapproximately $2,557.91. The standard deviation can alsobe computed:

Now, if x chips are dropped from slot 5, thetotal winnings are,where U1, ...,Ux are independent andidentically distributed random variables. Using the rulesof expectations for linear combinations of randomvariables,

Now let the number of chips dropped on the Plinko boardbe a random variable, X. Then X =W + 1, where W has a binomialdistribution with parameters n = 4 andp (since the contestant is given one chip, then hasfour independent tries to earn another chip). Thus,

To compute the expected value for the total winningswhen all chips are dropped from slot 5, we will use the lawof total expectation:

Price Is Right Slots Not Working

The variance (and hence, standard deviation) for thetotal winnings can also be computed using conditionalexpectations:

The iterative expectation formulas forE(T) and Var(T) can be found inmany upper-level probability and statistics textbooks(e.g., Rice 1995,pp. 137-139).

If a contestant has no pricing ability, thenp = .5 (additional chips are earnedwith probability 1/2 each). If a contestant has perfectpricing ability, then p = 1 (additionalchips are always earned). The expected value and standarddeviation for the total winnings under these circumstancessimplify nicely and are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Expected Value and Standard Deviation for Total Winnings in Plinko

p = .5p = 1
E(T)$7,673.73$12,789.55
SD(T)$$7,443.28$9,024.00

Note that the expected value for the total winningsfrom playing Plinko, E(T), is an increasinglinear function of p (which measures thecontestant's pricing ability). Thus, the more pricingability a contestant has, the more cash the contestantwins, on average. However, the standard deviation is largerelative to the expected value, even when a contestant hasperfect pricing ability (p = 1). This indicatesthat 'winning big' in this game depends mostly onchance.

4. Student Responses

Eighteen students participated in TPIR activity. Sixteen of these students evaluated this activityanonymously at the end of the term, approximately sevenweeks after the activity. Due to the amount of time between the activity and its end-of-term evaluation, two ofthe students admitted that their memories of the activityhad faded, although they did seem to remember enjoyingit. Specifically, the students stated:

'Plinko, I remember as being particularly interesting. I do not really remember it too much, though.'
'Pretty interesting, I'm not sure I remember the specifics though.'

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Only one student had a strong negative opinion about theactivity, mainly due to the student's dislike of groupwork. Specifically, the student stated, 'Nothing strikes meas particularly great about this day. I disliked the groupwork, and I thought that my time was wasted whilelistening to students talking at the blackboard.' Anotherstudent thought the activity was 'corny.' However, therest of the written statements evaluating the activitywere overwhelmingly positive:

'It was nice to see the tangible examples of the various kinds of distributions and I liked working in small groups to present to the class. Also, it was nice for variety.'
'Good change of pace; get to see application.'
'I really liked the group work, use of what we learned and then watching on TV.'
'I liked working in a group. It was also pretty neat how I could apply what I was learning to a show I used to watch all the time. It was fun.'
'That was fun.'
'So much fun. See these do have 'real life' application.'
'It was fun to see probability in action. I have no objections to this approach.'
'I liked watching the game and then figuring out the probabilities after seeing it in action.'

In order to get a quantifiable measure of theactivity's success, students also provided a numericalrating of the activity. On the evaluation form, students were asked

'How effective was The Price is Right class activityin terms of helping you better understand the material? Rate on a scale of 1 (not effective) to 9(very effective).'

The mean response was 7.125 and the standard deviationwas 1.7. In addition, the first, second, and thirdquartiles were 5.75, 8, and 8.25, respectively. As thedescriptive statistics show, the distribution was clearlyskewed to the left, indicating that most students foundthe activity to be effective in helping them betterunderstand the material.

5. Conclusion

Both the written comments and numerical ratings of thisactivity suggest the same conclusion: a large majority ofstudents found this classroom activity worthwhile. As the students' comments suggest, the benefits of this activityare mainly:

  • The opportunity to see probability applied to areal-life event. This helps students see that probabilityexists everywhere, even on a television game show.
  • The opportunity for students to work in groups andpresent material to the rest of the class. Most studentsenjoy collaborating with other students in aproblem-solving setting. I believe that this method ofreviewing material is very effective. It allows studentsto determine for themselves what probability tools arenecessary to solve the problem, thus helping them betterretain this knowledge.

One of the nicest features about this classroom activityis its flexibility. Depending on such things as thetopics the instructor wants to review and the amount oftime he or she wants to spend on the activity in class,one can easily modify the classroom activity as describedin Section2. For instance, different games from those describedcan be used or different probability questions can beasked.

Another way to modify the activity would be to not usevideotaped clips of TPIR during class. The activitywould still provide effective probability examples, and theamount of preparation and class time spent on the activitywould be reduced. However, using videotaped segments doesprovide two benefits:

  • It allows any students who are unfamiliar withTPIR to better understand the show and the specificpricing games that are being analyzed, and
  • The students seem to enjoy the excited nature of thecontestants on the show. As a result, the students becomeexcited about the classroom activity in which they areengaging.

Although the activity described in Section 2 was agreat success, there is one modification I would make thenext time I use this activity. Rather than performing theactivity entirely in one class period, I would break theactivity into two class periods in the following way:

At the end of the first class, show the first clip fromTPIR and go over the pricing game together. Thenassign students to small groups and hand out different pricing games to each group. The students would then workon their problem outside of class, with a strongencouragement to work with other group members. At thebeginning of the second class period, the groups wouldquickly convene to compare answers and select arepresentative. Each group's representative would thenpresent their group's problem and solution to the rest ofthe class.

There are three reasons why I would like to modify theactivity in this way. First, students who greatlydislike group work can work individually instead. Another reason is that it would reduce the total amount of classtime spent on the activity because the group work wouldoccur outside of class. Most importantly, it would allowme to ask more challenging and interesting questions,since students would have more time to think about thesolution.

Lastly, this activity could be easily modified to usein an elementary course. Obviously, only pricing gamesand questions that pertain to topics they have coveredwould be used. This would result in simpler questionsbeing asked of the students. For instance, Question 1 forMaster Key and Question 1 forPlinko would both be appropriate questions for anelementary statistics class. Note that these simplerquestions still have merit. Students will observe theinteresting fact that contestants always have somepositive probability of winning the game. Andsurprisingly, this probability is often quite substantial,even when the contestant's pricing ability is verypoor.

However, by being able to ask more challengingquestions (as is possible in an upper-level course,particularly if students are given a lot of time toconsider the problem), another interesting point isobserved: As a contestant's pricing ability increases, sodoes the contestant's probability of winning. This is asit should be... After all, the name of the game is ThePrice is Right!

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the MAA Session on Teaching the Practice of Statistics at All Levels, II, Joint Mathematics Meeting, Baltimore, MD, January 10, 1998.

References

Coe, P. R., and Butterworth, W.(1995), 'Optimal Stopping in 'The Showcase Showdown,'The American Statistician, 49, 271-275.

Hastings, K. J. (1997),Probability and Statistics, Reading, MA:Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc., pp. 93-95.

Rice, J. (1995),Mathematical Statistics and Data Analysis (2nded.), Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, pp. 137-139.

Rossman, A., and Chance, B. (2001), Workshop Statistics: Discovery withData (2nd ed.), Emeryville, CA: Key CollegePublishing.

Scheaffer, R. L., Gnanadesikan, M.,Watkins, A., and Witmer, J. A. (1996),Activity-Based Statistics, New York: Springer-Verlag.

Amy Biesterfeld
Department of Applied Mathematics
Campus Box 526
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309-0526

abiester@colorado.edu

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COVID-19 has impacted the production industry in more ways than people could’ve imagined. At one point, productions were shut down entirely, and there was no word on when things would start filming again. Recently, restrictions have lifted and networks have been able to resume production, but strict safety measures have been put in place. The classic game show, The Price is Right, is one of the many shows to return to TV, but not quite in the way viewers were expecting. In October 2020, CBS revealed that The Price is Right would be coming to primetime with a series of episodes called The Price is Right at Night. But does the primetime version work the same way as the day time version? We’re about to let you know. Continue reading to find out if The Price is Right at Night is different from the daytime version?

What Is The Price Is Right At Night?

At the name suggests, The Price is Right at Night is a version of the game show that airs during the evening. The pandemic isn’t the first time CBS has decided to bring The Price is Right to primetime, however. In 1986, CBS attempted to compete with other network’s primetime hits by introducing a limited run of The Price is Right during a primetime slot. The show aired for six episodes, but unfortunately it didn’t end up being very successful. You know what they say though, if at first you don’t succeed, try again.

In the summer of 2002, CBS tried again with another six episode run of The Price is Right during primetime. This time, the episodes focused on members of the armed forces and first responders. The second attempt proved to be a hit and fans seemed to enjoy watching The Price is Right during primetime and CBS returned to the format several times in the years since.

With COVID-19 forcing networks to get creative, CBS decided to bring The Price is Right back to primetime for a limited number of episodes under the name The Price is Right at Night. The night time version is hosted by the show’s regular host, Drew Carey, and features

Is The Price Is Right At Night Different?

From very early on, the primetime version of the Price is Right has stayed true to its original form with one major difference: a bigger budget. Since the show has to compete with other primetime programs, the night version has a lot more money to shell out on prizes. At one point, CBS even introduced a $1million bonus spin which has since been eliminated. There will also be special contestants, such as the cast of the TV series The Neighborhood, who will be playing for charity. In terms of the game play and the games themselves, however, absolutely nothing about The Price is Right at Night is any different from the daytime show.

COVID Safety Measures

Like other shows that have gone back to filming during the pandemic, things on the set of the Price is Right are a little different than normal. One of the most first things most people have noticed is that Drew Carey is rocking a full beard. He also has a more casual look that doesn’t include a tie. Aesthetic changes aren’t the only ones taking place on the show, however.

One of the most notable changes is that there is no live audience. Due to the format of the show, it’s also impossible for The Price is Right to have a virtual audience. There would be no way to prevent them from looking up the prices of the items. According to Cinema Blend, “Social distancing will be in place, and crew members will wear masks and work in zones. Cleaning and testing will happen regularly, including the wheel being sanitized between spins. Also, physical contact between Drew Carey and the players is off-limits.”

Although these safety measures have been introduced with The Price is Right at Night, they will continue when the daytime version of the show returns. After a three episode special of The Price is Right at Night, the day time version returns to TV on November 16.

While there’s no doubt that fans are happy to see the show back in its regular time slot, there are lots of people who love the night time version as it gives more people a chance to be able to tune in. There hasn’t been any talk of making The Price is Right at Night a permanent thing, but that could be a cool change of pace for the show and it’s already proven to be a successful opportunity.