Your guide to the Galton Board Simulator

Discover the fascinating world of probability with the FINIOS Galton Board Simulator. This guide will walk you through its features, helping students understand complex statistical concepts with ease and clarity. We aim to help students grasp the core ideas of probability and statistics.

Set the parameters

Begin your exploration by configuring two crucial parameters. The 'Number of Rows (n)' defines the layers of pegs the ball will pass through, influencing the distribution's smoothness. A larger 'n' yields a smoother, more bell-shaped curve, while a smaller 'n' shows discrete distributions. The 'Bias (p)' dictates the probability that the ball moves to the right at each peg. A bias of p=0.5 ensures a symmetric board, p>0.5 shifts the distribution right, and p<0.5 shifts it left. Once these values are entered, tap 'Start Simulation' to navigate to the Galton board screen.

Run and adjust the simulation

On the simulation screen, watch as balls automatically begin dropping. Each ball moves left or right at every peg according to your selected bias, with its landing position (bin index) being recorded. A histogram dynamically builds up at the bottom as more balls are dropped, illustrating the empirical distribution of landing positions. You can control the animation speed: a downward arrow helps visualise individual peg interactions and the path of each ball, while a upward arrow quickly stabilises the histogram, revealing the underlying distribution. 

Interpret your findings