PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2012
Portland, Oregon
Musings on infinite sample space
Page: 2-329
We examine the responses of secondary school teachers to a probability task with an infinite sample space. Specifically, the participants were asked to comment on a potential disagreement between two students when evaluating the probability of picking a particular real number from a given interval of real numbers. Their responses were analyzed via the theoretical lens of reducing abstraction. The results show a strong dependence on a contextualized interpretation of the task, even when formal mathematical knowledge is evidenced in the responses.