How Do I Use This Activity?

This activity allows the user to play a game in which two players move towards the finish line based on the roll of a six-sided die.

This Java applet requires a Java-capable browser. If you don't see the applet Java may not be functional in your browser or on your machine. A more complicated version of this game, Racing Game with Two Dice, is available, too.

Controls and Output

• Independent Run Panel
  • Clicking the Roll Die button simulates rolling the dice and making a move in the game. Only the lucky player, as determined in the Configuration Panel (see below), moves each time.
    

  • Clicking the Restart button starts the race over again.
    

  • Sliding the Race Segments slider bar increases or decreases the length of the race (number of steps to the finish line).
    

  • The graphic of the race track shows each players current position:
    

• Configuration Panel
  • You can determine the "lucky player" by clicking the radio buttons to choose which player gets to move for each roll value. So, if you say that red moves on 1, 2, and 3, each time one of those values is rolled on the die, the red car moves ahead one space.
    

  • Notice that this panel gives you the option of collecting cumulavtive stats. If you choose yes, then the statistics in the multiple run panel (see below) will include every run that you do. If you choose no, then the statistics will only include the most recent race.

• Multiple Run Panel
  • This panel allows you to simulate many races without having to run each one individually. To do this, you must enter the number of runs that you wish to complete and click on the Race! button.

  • After you run a number of races, you will see that this panel displays the number of races each car has won, the percent of the races that each car has won, and a pie chart showing graphically the percentage of races each car has won.
  • Use the Clear Stats button to remove cumulative stats and start over with the statistics collection.