Francis Galton originally conceived of the “Galton Board” in order to communicate the counter-intuitive implications of statistical law. Physical demonstrators such as this one have continued to play an important role in the work of providing meaningful emotional experiences in the discovery of mathematical and scientific principles, with examples populating classrooms, science centers and other exhibits. This talk traces the design story behind the construction of the highly successful table Galton Board, with its engineering origins in a little plastic coin.

Philip Poissant is the product design principal of Poissant Design Associates Inc., an award winning, consultant industrial design office located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Working in all aspects of the product development cycle, the company has more than 25 years experience in manufactured parts with an emphasis on plastic, injection molded assemblies.