From your assignment spec:

1. Create a new project called 5.06 Monte Carlo Method in the
   Mod05 Assignments folder.
2. Create a class called BottleCapPrize in the newly created
   project folder.
3. Determine how many times a die must be rolled in order to
   win a prize. (This represents one trial.) Print this value to a
   text file.
4. Conduct at least 1,000 trials.
5. Read the data back in from all of the trials.
6. Calculate the average number of times a die must be rolled in order to win a prize.
7. Print the result to the screen.

There is some very loose, inaccurate language in this assignment spec. You're stuck with it, but sometimes it drives me nuts when professors use incorrect terminology like this. The probability is KNOWN ahead of time and has nothing to do with any random rolls of a die. Similarly, the expected number of trials that it will take before you get your first winner is also known and can be calculated EXACTLY. Hence any random number generation would be an incorrect approach to this problem. Take words like "determine", "calculate", and "probability" with a grain of salt here. I commented in a similar vain regarding statistics/probability terminology last night to someone. Might have been another of your threads. Not sure. Anyway, end of sermon regarding terminology.

Regarding your problem, since in line 3, "trial" is defined as the number of times before you get a winner, your output file should look something like this:

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6 3 7 2 6 8 10 2

6 3 7 2 6 8 10 2

These should average to around 5. Read 'em all in and take the average. That's your answer to number 6. Your file is incorrect. You should have no zeroes. If you open ten bottles and the first nine aren't winners and the tenth is, you write this to the file:

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10

10

not this:

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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

I can't think of any other way to read the spec.

alright, i think this may be the way to do what you were describing,

Java Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)

PrintWriter outFile = new PrintWriter (new File("bottleCap.txt"));
 
        while(counter <= 20)
        {
 
            randomNumber = ((int)(0+ Math.random()* 5));
            outFile.println(winCounter);
 
            if (randomNumber == 1)
            {
 
            winCounter++;
 
            }
 
 
 
        }
 
 
        outFile.close ( );

PrintWriter outFile = new PrintWriter (new File("bottleCap.txt")); while(counter <= 20) { randomNumber = ((int)(0+ Math.random()* 5)); outFile.println(winCounter); if (randomNumber == 1) { winCounter++; } } outFile.close ( );

it seems like that would keep it from printing out all those zeros, but now when i go to open the txt to look at the output notepad goes non-responding.