Discrete Probability Distributions — Grinstead & Snell
Mathematics — Probability · simulation-discrete-probabilities
Problem
In the early 1600s, Galileo was asked to explain the fact that, although the number of triples of integers from 1 to 6 with sum 9 is the same as the number of such triples with sum 10, when three dice are rolled, a 9 seemed to come up less often than a 10---supposedly in the experience of gamblers.
(a) Write a program to simulate the roll of three dice a large number of times and keep track of the proportion of times that the sum is 9 and the proportion of times it is 10.
(b) Can you conclude from your simulations that the gamblers were correct?