Education Technology


NUMB3RS - Season 3 - "Contenders" - Dialing Ben

Activity Overview

In "Contenders," David's friend, Ben Ellis, is a suspect of two murders. The FBI can not find Ben when he stops using his cell phone. Charlie explains that Ben may be using a friend's cell phone and might be identified by his unique calling pattern, so he compares the cell phone records of Ben and his friends. If Ben's pattern is found in a friend's records, then Ben's location may be revealed.
Students will use scatter plots and regression models to find patterns in data.

Before the Activity

Download the attached PDF and look over the Teacher Page.

During the Activity

Discuss the materials from the Student Page with your class.

After the Activity

Encourage students to explore web sites and questions from the Extensions Page.