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Queen Victoria was queen of England from 1837 to 1901, and during her reign, Ireland was part of her kingdom. Some coins minted at that time were made of gold, and were called sovereigns and half-sovereigns. They were nominally worth £1 for a sovereign, but as the price of gold rose, the coins were sometimes melted down and the metal sold for a higher value. Ask you grandparents if they've any old sovereigns or half-sovereigns about. We will be using a sovereign for this game. Kilmainham Jail is overcrowded, and you have to decide which prisoners in the line passing before you go free and which stay in jail. Toss a coin to decide -- Free if Head comes up; Stay in Jail if Tail comes up. (Use a sheet of paper, divided into two colums, with Free on top of one column and Jail on top of the other. Place a tick in the appropriate column after each throw of the coin.) After twenty throws of the coin, you will have two lists of ticks. Do you predict an equal amount of ticks on each column? Do you think this is a fair way to decide who stays in jail and who goes free?
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