Which Model Makes Sense?
Resources for this lesson:
> Glossary 
> Calculator Resources
> Teacher Resources: Instructional Notes
Let’s explore another data set.
For a social studies presentation, Justyce is researching census data about her town population to find out how many people have lived there. She gathers the following data:Population-Census Data
Years since 1950 |
0 |
10 |
20 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Town Population (in thousands) |
35.2 |
44.2 |
55.5 |
69.1 |
87.2 |
110.1 |
137.8 |
Examine the population data and respond the following on a sheet of notebook paper:
- Create a scatter plot (using paper, a calculator or the Shodor Applet ) and determine which function type (linear, exponential or quadratic) may be the best fit for the data set.
- Calculate and review the residual plot to determine if the model is the best fit. If you selected a linear model, analyze the correlation coefficient.
- Justify why the model you selected is the best fit for the Census Population data.
