US 12,268,971 B1Granted

Probability demonstrator

AssigneeIndex Fund Advisors, Inc.

InventorsMark T. Hebner, Philip Poissant

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Abstract

A probability demonstrator has a transparent housing having a bead reservoir at the top of the housing, a plurality of pegs disposed in a triangular matrix configuration in a mid-portion of the housing, and a plurality of parallel bead bins disposed at a bottom portion of the housing. Spherical beads are enclosed within the housing. The spherical beads are loaded into the bead reservoir by rotating the housing on its central pivots. When rotated again, the spherical beads cascade through the triangular matrix and come to rest within the plurality of bead bins. The probability demonstrator is configured to allow bead flow through the device without hanging up through any part of the device until the spherical beads come to rest within the bead bins, resulting in a histogram showing a normal distribution. A single larger diameter spherical bead may be included with the plurality of spherical beads to demonstrate a single random outcome.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A probability demonstrator combines Pascal's Triangle with a Galton Board, the probability demonstrator comprising:

a transparent housing having an interior comprising a top portion, a middle portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion, the middle portion and the bottom portion are consecutively arranged along an axis, the transparent housing further comprising a front face and a rear panel which enclose the interior, wherein a plurality of spherical beads is disposed within the interior;
a bead reservoir disposed in the top portion, the bead reservoir connected to the middle portion by a single conduit, the bead reservoir having a first depth between an upper inside surface of the front face and an upper inside surface of the rear panel;
a plurality of pegs disposed in the middle portion in a triangular shaped quincunx matrix configuration, the middle portion having a second depth between a middle inside surface of the front face and a middle inside surface of the rear panel;
and
a plurality of bead bins disposed in parallel configuration in the bottom portion, each bin having an open end adjacent the middle portion and a closed end adjacent a bottom edge of the bottom portion, each bin in parallel alignment with the vertical axis, the bottom portion having a third depth between a bottom inside surface of the front face and a bottom inside surface of the rear panel;
wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth and the second depth is greater than the third depth and whereupon a disposition of the plurality of beads into the plurality of bead bins, a first single bead of the plurality of beads is distinguishable from the remainer of the plurality of beads.

3 more elements

A probability demonstrator comprising:

a transparent housing having an interior comprising a top portion, a middle portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion, the middle portion and the bottom portion are consecutively arranged along an axis, the transparent housing further comprising a front face and a rear panel which enclose the interior, wherein the top portion comprises a first depth between the front face and the rear panel, the middle portion comprises a second depth between the front face and the rear panel and the bottom portion comprises a third depth between the front face and the rear panel, wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth and the second depth is greater than the third depth, and wherein a plurality of spherical beads is disposed within the interior;
a bead reservoir disposed in the top portion, the bead reservoir connected to the middle portion by a single conduit;
a plurality of pegs disposed in the middle portion in a triangular matrix configuration;
and
a plurality of bead bins disposed in parallel configuration in the bottom portion, each bead bin having an open end adjacent the middle portion and a closed end adjacent a bottom edge of the bottom portion, each bin in parallel alignment with the vertical axis, wherein each of the plurality of bead bins comprises a center channel having a center channel depth disposed between a first outer channel having a first outer channel depth and a second outer channel having a second outer channel depth.

2 more elements

A probability demonstrator comprising:

a transparent housing having an interior comprising a top portion, a middle portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion, the middle portion and the bottom portion are consecutively arranged along an axis, the transparent housing further comprising a front face and a rear panel which enclose the interior, wherein the top portion comprises a first depth between the front face and the rear panel, the middle portion comprises a second depth between the front face and the rear panel and the bottom portion comprises a third depth between the front face and the rear panel, wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth and the second depth is greater than the third depth, and wherein a plurality of spherical beads is disposed within the interior, the plurality of spherical beads comprising a first single bead having a diameter at least twice as large as all of the remaining beads;
a bead reservoir disposed in the top portion, the bead reservoir connected to the middle portion by a single conduit;
a plurality of pegs disposed in the middle portion in a triangular matrix configuration;
and
a plurality of bead bins disposed in parallel configuration in the bottom portion, each bead bin having an open end adjacent the middle portion and a closed end adjacent a bottom edge of the bottom portion, each bin in parallel alignment with the vertical axis.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.