Gordon Bell High School - Purple and Gold Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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Probability and Statistics The study of probability is a very interesting one. Probability has applications in business, law, medicine, war and gambling. The study involves such mathematics as permutations, combinations and plenty of advanced algebra. After reading a book by Warren Weaver called “Lady Luck”, I became interested in this subject. With the help of a computer on some of the equations involved, for example the square of the ninth root of two hundred and fifty-six, I managed to compare probabilities, predictions for tossing a tail with a coin, rolling a seven with a pair of dice, drawing a heart from a pack of fifty two playing cards, and getting a red on a roulette wheel, with the actual outcome. The comparison was nearly perfect. Using the Poisson formula (quite a fishy one), I compared predictions for the death of a German army cavalry soldier by being kicked by a horse and the actual records kept for the years 1875 to 1894. The results were almost exact. All in all, the fair was very rewarding for after the “stimulating” experience I walked away with a third prize in Mathematics and $25 to keep my wallet happy. David Hughes. HCNERCM Computer Programming This project presented the basic ideas in the field of programming. Besides a brief description of a simple computer program, there were several programs already written, illustrating the many and varied uses of the computer. These programs ranged from a poker-playing program to one that will change a huge number with one hundred and twenty-six digits from base ten to base two in just over one minute. If this were attempted by hand, it would take a team of mathematicians most of their lives. There is also a program that could be used in grade 12 to solve all the gas equations that are found in grade 12 chemistry. The project placed second on the mathematics division of the Science Fair. John Bates.

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SCIENCE FAIR The Science Club, one of Gordon Bell’s most active and successful groups has enjoyed another exciting and eventful year. Three speakers every month kept everyone interested in the regular meetings and also inspired several members to start projects. The Science Club was proud to have six individual entries, and a group project to represent Gordon Bell at the Science Fair. Entered were: Tom Young—Model Lake; Linda Andrusco—Analog Computer; Vernon Taylor—Hovercraft (2nd General Science); Dave Hughes—Probability (3rd Mathematics Prize); John Bates —Computers (2nd Maths Prize); Shelley Hlady—Color Prejudice Among Rats (1st Biology). Shelley was also one of the four project winners selected to represent Manitoba in the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Color Prejudice Among Rats The purpose of this experiment was to find out if animals can learn a color prejudice, if preju¬ dice is defined as a prejudgement involving dislike or fear. The subjects used were female rats, four albino, which I will refer to as white, and four hooded, which I will call black. The rats were tested and found to be all initially compatible. They were then placed into either of the two groups randomly, two of each color going to both groups. The first group, the experimental, was to show how the rats reacted with the conditions the experimenter supplied, and in this case whether they would form a color prejudice. The other group, the control, was to see how the rats would react normally. Each rat was placed in a shocking apparatus six times daily. The apparatus was a rectangular box with a floor composed of brass rods which were connected to a transformer so that when it was so desired a mild shock could be given to anything touching two consecutive rods. When the rats were placed in the apparatus, they were placed one half of each days trials (or three times) with a rat of their own color, and one half of the time with a rat of the other color. When with a rat of their own color they were allowed to react normally and given a carrot as positive rein¬ forcement. They were then put back in their cages after a two minute time period. If two rats were being placed in the apparatus which were not the same color they would both be either from the experimental or control groups. If they were from the latter, they were again allowed to react normally, observations being recorded, and the rats being removed after two minutes. The experimental pairs were shocked for about three to seven seconds if they touched each other in the same instance. They could escape the shock by climbing on either of the two wooden dowels which were horizontally positioned above the floor. After each rat had been in the apparatus over a period of three weeks for forty times with rats of both colors, a marked difference appeared between those animals in the different groups. The control animals still were normally friendly to others of both colors, while the experimental animals completely avoided other rats that were not their own color. It should be pointed out that each rat was only shocked with the one other rat, and mistakenly associated the shock with the rat’s color rather than the individual rat. 94

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adorable but t’s really me?