Education Technology

Statistics: Testing the Vitruvian Man

by Texas Instruments

Overview

Students collect height and wingspan measurements from the class, and then create a scatter plot of the data.

Key Steps

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    In this activity, students will collect data on height and wingspan. Each student can measure his/her height and wingspan, using centimeters or inches. The data can be recorded in lists and distributed to the class. If desired, the given lists, HEIGH and WINGS can be used to complete the activity.

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    Students will create a scatter plot of the data on the calculator. They will then describe the scatter plot using terms such as positive or negative association and linear or non-linear.

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    With the Manual-Fit command, students will add a line to the scatter plot to create a line of best fit and observe the equation for the line. They will identify properties a best fit line should have and then justify why they think their line best fits the data. Students will also use the equation of the line to predict the wingspan or the height of a person given one measurement or the other.