The Settlers of Catan: Using Settlement Placement Strategies in the Probability Classroom

Summary

The Settlers of Catan, a property-building and trading board game, contains many opportunities for mathematical exploration. In this paper we discuss Catan settlement placement strategies suitable for teaching basic concepts of probability and expected value to undergraduate students.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jathan Austin

Jathan Austin ([email protected]) is an assistant professor of mathematics at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. He received a B.S. in mathematics from Salisbury University, an M.S. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Delaware. He teaches a range of mathematics courses, both for future and current teachers and for traditional mathematics majors. His research interests include elementary number theory with connections to linear algebra and studying the mathematical development of pre-service teachers. In his free time, Jathan enjoys following numerous professional and college sports, watching and reading science fiction, and playing board games.

Susanna Molitoris-Miller

Susanna Molitoris-Miller ([email protected]) received a B.S. in mathematics from The University of Scranton, followed by a M.S. in mathematics and Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Delaware. She is currently an assistant professor of mathematics education at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. At KSU she teaches a variety of mathematics content courses for pre-service teachers and researches how students learn mathematical concepts through examples, exploration, and definitions. In her free time Susanna enjoys working on craft projects, visiting zoos and aquariums, spending time with her family, and of course, playing board games.