Jan 30, 2008 - Claremont, Calif. - The Department of Mathematics will host a special presentation by mathematician/game show winner Bowen Kerins titled "The Mathematics of Game Shows" on Friday, Feb. 1, from 7 to 8 p.m. in  Galileo McAlister Hall. A special themed dessert will follow.

How does the banker come up with those offers on "Deal or No Deal?" Where should you drop the Plinko chip to maximize your chance of winning $10,000? These questions, among others, lead to topics in probability and statistics. This talk examines the mathematics behind game shows, both from the perspective of a player in the game, as well as the producers designing it. Audience members may be selected to come on stage to win prizes!

Bowen Kerins is a senior curriculum designer at the Education Development Center in Newton, Mass. For the past five years, he has worked on a comprehensive high school curriculum, CME Project, to be published by Pearson Prentice Hall in 2008. Kerins was a high school mathematics teacher for four years, teaching all grades and all levels from low-level Algebra 1 to AP calculus. He has taught and designed the curriculum for the Park City Mathematics Institute's program for teachers since 2001. Kerins has a B.S. in mathematics from Stanford University and an MAT in mathematics education from Boston University. He won $32,000 on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" with Regis Philbin in 2000, and is one of the world's best pinball players.