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What does going first really buy in tic-tac-toe?

Show of hands — before you project anything

Predict first: if both players play their very best, who wins tic-tac-toe — the first player, the second, or nobody? How could we test it?

  • A Way more than you'd guess
  • B About what you'd guess
  • C Way less than you'd guess

Count the votes out loud. Hold them to it — then watch.

Project it (fullscreen)

Discussion prompts

  • Predict first: if both players play their very best, who wins tic-tac-toe — the first player, the second, or nobody? How could we test it?
  • Predict first: we let the computer slip on purpose. Whose wins should grow more — the first player's or the second player's — and why?
  • If going first can't force a win, where does the 'I want to go first!' feeling actually come from?

Where it shows up in real life

  • Arguing over who goes first in a board game
  • A computer opponent in a phone game that never seems to lose
  • The coin toss at the start of a sports game, which gives one team the first chance

A prediction-first worksheet — no answer key.

zero prep · no login · any projector

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