Predicting the Future
Resources for this lesson:
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> Teacher Resources: Instructional Notes
For the 2012 – 2013 winter season, Marissa and Allyson did not get to enjoy many snow days in Maryland. It just did not snow! Allyson remembers not getting very much snow for the last two winter seasons.
Let’s take a look at this situation:
Allyson: Do you suspect that the winters in Maryland are getting warmer, or is this snowfall pattern normal?
After a quick Internet search, Marissa finds the following information:
Year |
Snowfall Amount |
|---|---|
1990 |
17.3 |
1991 |
9.4 |
1992 |
4.1 |
1993 |
24.4 |
1994 |
17.3 |
1995 |
8.2 |
1996 |
62.5 |
1997 |
15.3 |
1998 |
3.2 |
1999 |
15.2 |
2000 |
26.1 |
2001 |
8.7 |
2002 |
2.3 |
2003 |
58.1 |
2004 |
18.3 |
2005 |
18.0 |
2006 |
19.6 |
2007 |
11.0 |
2008 |
8.5 |
2009 |
9.1 |
2010 |
77.0 |
2011 |
14.4 |
2012 |
1.8 |
Source: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/local_data.php?wfo=lwx
Marissa: According to the National Weather Service, the average yearly snowfall for Maryland is reported as 20.6 inches.
Allyson: I believe the average yearly snowfall for Maryland is not 20.6 inches. Let’s do a statistical experiment to prove this!
