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© 2014 Pacific Crest
315
H
ardest Problem
How hard
can
it be? Can you still use what you’ve learned?
Based on the Models, the Methodologies, and the Demonstrate Your Understanding (DYU) problems in
this activity, create the
hardest
problem you can. Start with the hardest DYU problem in this experience
and by contrasting and comparing it with the other DYU problems, play “What if” with the different
conditions and parameters in the various problems.
Can you still solve the problem? If so, solve it. If not, explain why not.
What are the conditions and parameters that make it difficult to determine standard deviation and variance
for a data set?
T
roubleshooting
Find the error and correct it!
At an online biodiversity forum, there is an extensive conversation about variance in heights, starting with
the initial question in the following post:
Topic:
Height Variance Men and Women
I’ve been to several countries, and growing up in metropolitan areas of
America, have seen various ethnicities from all over the world. What I’ve
noticed is that the variance in height between ethnic group is by far more
pronounced in MEN. Women vary far less. Sometimes the only variance is
between men, and women are the exact same size.
I am wondering why this is? Something on the Y Chromosome or how different
ethnicities process testosterone or some other growth hormone?
I was curious about this so I looked at wiki (I know not a great source)
but it kind of confirmed my belief...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height
You will quickly see that male height variance is extreme, where women of
most nationalities sampled vary between 5’2” - 5’5” (~158cm -165cm)
M
aking it Matter
Solving problems in your life
●
In your life, you are consistently ranked in a population. What is normal and how normal are you?
Pick five areas and find a way to locate both the average and the population standard deviation to
determine where you rank in the distribution. A couple of examples already explored are your height
and weight in the U.S. population.
L
earning to Learn Mathematics
Reflecting on and appreciating your learning
1. When looking a new formula, such as standard deviation, what have you learned about analyzing a
formula to interpret and anticipate the implications of using the formula?
2. How do you find the area/issue/datapoint that has the greatest potential to affect a system, population,
or calculation (consider the impact an extreme outlier can have on the variance of a data set)?
7.2 Variation