Education Technology

Olympic 100 Meter Dash Times: Women vs. Men

Subject Area
Math: Algebra I: Data Analysis
Level
9-12
College
Activity Time
25 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-84 series
Other Materials
Students will need a copy of the instructions and a student worksheet. It is helpful if each student has their own graphing calculator.
Resource Types
Lessons

Olympic 100 Meter Dash Times: Women vs. Men

Activity Overview

In this activity, students will analyze data from 1960 to 1992 to determine when mens' and womens' winning olympic times will be equal. Students use regression and systems of equations to answer a series of questions about the data.

Before the Activity

Students need to have a basic background in both regression and systems of equations, especially in solving a system by graphing.

During the Activity

Students should work alone or in small groups on the activity. Teachers should watch for students who do not enter the lists correctly when setting up their scatter plots. Be prepared to help students find the Y1 variable if they have not used this function before.

After the Activity

Review with students their answers to questions 5 and 6. They may benefit from a discussion about accuracy and error, noting a significant difference between, for example, 10.9 seconds and 10.2 seconds.

Subject Area
Math: Algebra I: Data Analysis
Level
9-12
College
Activity Time
25 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-84 series
Other Materials
Students will need a copy of the instructions and a student worksheet. It is helpful if each student has their own graphing calculator.
Resource Types
Lessons
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