Spreadsheet Tool for an Interactive and Automatic Simulation of the Monty Hall Problem
Description
The Monty Hall Problem (Three-Door Problem) is a well-known example for a counterintuitive problem in probability theory. This site provides a VBA-based spreadsheet implementation in Excel for an interactive and automatic simulation of the Monty Hall Problem. In the interactive simulation mode, participants (students) are organized into pairs. Within each pair, one student assumes the role of the host, while the other takes on the role of the contestant. In this simulation mode, the game process and the associated simulation based on the Excel tool provided here are deliberately not fully automated; rather, the students in the role of hosts and contestants should carry out essential steps themselves, interact with each other, and thus become an active part of the simulation. The settings allow for different assumptions regarding, among other things, the random or conscious nature of decisions. This allows a range of different game situations to be mapped - from a purely random game (based solely on Excel’s random number generator) on the one hand to a purely conscious game (based on possibly tactical decisions and expectations of the participants) on the other. The results template can be used to aggregate the results of the interactive simulation of the groups, e.g. in combination with Moodle. The fully automatic simulation comes in two modes and enables different speed and display options, e.g. successive chart creation during simulation. Both the interactive and automatic simulation modes allow for different assumptions regarding the probabilities for the car location, the contestant’s first choice and the door opened by the host. Both the interactive and automatic simulation modes can be carried out in online and face-to-face teaching. The online variant can be conducted using Zoom or any other video conferencing software that enables group rooms. Carrying out the interactive and automatic simulation provides data in the form of absolute and relative frequencies for wins and losses depending on whether the contestant switches doors or not. The results can then be discussed. Versions of the simulation tool: - for Windows: Monty Hall Problem Simulation 5.0 (Win) - for Mac: Monty Hall Problem Simulation 5.0 (Mac) Please note: The simulation tool is optimized for use with Windows. Some options are not available in the Mac version of the simulation tool provided here.
Files
Steps to reproduce
As this Excel file contains macros, it needs to be unblocked before using it. For further information, see the following websites: Windows: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/security/internet-macros-blocked https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/security/internet-macros-blocked#guidance-on-allowing-vba-macros-to-run-in-files-you-trust Mac: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/mac/set-preference-macro-security-office-for-mac