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This paper aimed to present the heuristics and biases of Representativity and Disponibility, which, to a greater or lesser extent, may lead to misleading conclusions, and which are linked to the judgment and/or prediction of uncertainty scenarios. The teaching of probability and statistics in secondary education in Brazil has turned to the mathematical form of theory, without discussions and practical situations that would allow a consistent view of theory, facilitates the appearance of biases. The analysis consisted of the application of a pre-test, followed by discussions and activities in the area of probability and statistics, ending with a post-test, to analyze the reasoning of high school students against standards that can lead to errors of judgment. The heuristic resistance was verified more expressively in one type and moderately in another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to reveal the possibilities that some workshops offer for the learning of mathematics and demonstrate how the articulation of references from Situated Learning and Cultural Historical Activity Theory may illuminate the occurrence of mathematics learning. A workshop on probability, part of the integral educational project for the municipal schools of Belo Horizonte, is presented. Students were attending the 4th and 5th year of elementary school. The empirical data consisted of excerpts of the transcriptions of the interactions between the students extracted from field notes and audio and video recordings. As a result, it is stressed the potential of the theoretical articulation implemented to delineate signs of learning (equiprobability, event, impossible event) in classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great importance to know the rain distribution in the region of Tangará da Serra (latitude 14°37′55″S, longitude 57°28′05″W and altitude 488 m), as it is an agricultural region, which makes such information essential for an adequate planning, maximization of agricultural potential and optimization of hydric resources. Thus, this work was aimed at evaluating the annual, monthly and ten-day pluviometric variability, and also quantifying the number of dry and rainy days and different levels of rain probability for the region. Pluviometric data provided by ′Agência Nacional de Águas′ (ANA) were used to analyze a period of 38 years (from January 1970 to December 2007). Precipitation behavior in Tangará da Serra has annual and monthly variations, constituting two well defined seasons - a dry one from May to September, and a rainy one from October to April. Annual variability during the analyzed period corresponds to the maximum value of 2,861, minimum of 1,404 and average of 1,830 mm, respectively. The incomplete gamma function adequately expresses precipitation probability in Tangará da Serra. Precipitation averages range from 40 to 50% probability for rainy months and from 30 to 40% for dry ones. According to the results, this type of research might help the elaboration and development of irrigation projects in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]