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Related material

Statistics and the Pendulum

Module by: Interactive Mathematics Program

Intent

By doing the activities in Statistics and the Pendulum, students begin to build an understanding of the tools they will need to test the effects of different variables on the period of a pendulum.

Mathematics

Of the many ways in which data may be distributed, one of the most useful—especially when dealing with data collected from measurements—is the normal distribution (sometimes called the bell curve). Given the role of measurement in addressing the unit problem, understanding the properties of this distribution will be important for students. The keys to measuring the variability in a normal distribution are two statistics: mean and standard deviation. When data are distributed normally, we know how much data resides within a certain number of standard deviations of the mean of the distribution.

In these activities, students learn how to calculate and interpret standard deviation and then use this statistic, along with the normal distribution, to reason about data.

Progression

Statistics and the Pendulum begins by defining the normal distribution. Students then reason informally about normally distributed data as they develop an understanding of standard deviation. The unit ends with students doing more formal reasoning about normally distributed data using standard deviation. The calculator will be introduced as a helpful tool for summarizing and displaying data. In addition, students will complete their work on the second of the unit’s POWs and begin work on the third.

What’s Normal?

A Mini-POW About Mini-Camel

Kai and Mai Spread Data

Standard Deviation Basics

The Best Spread

Making Friends with Standard Deviation