Superlesson
Project 2-1

Superlesson
Project 1-2

Superlesson
Project 2-3

Advanced Algebra

Chapter 2, Linear Functions, Equations, and Inequalities

Scatter plots display data visually. A scatter plot helps you to see correlations among data, allowing you to make predictions about other data that conform to the same pattern.

Part A, Using Equations of Trend Lines

1. Find the list of tallest mountains in New Hampshire's White Mountains National Forest (WMNF).

a. Make a scatter plot of the heights of the 9 tallest peaks. Use the coordinates (ranking, height) where ranking is a peak's position on the list from 1 to 9, and height is a peak's height in feet.

b. Draw a trend line for your data.

c. Write an equation for your trend line in the form y = kx + b, where x is height in feet, and y is ranking.

d. According to your equation, how high is the 2nd highest peak? the 3rd highest? the 9th highest?

e. How well does your equation predict the height of the highest peaks?

f. Do you think that the equation will predict the heights of all the peaks in New Hampshire's Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest accurately? Explain.

Part B, The Median-Median Line of Fit

2a. Find the heights of the 9 tallest mountains in New Hampshire's White Mountains National Forest (WMNF). Write the data as coordinate pairs (ranking, height), where ranking is a peak's position on the list from 1 to 9, and height is a peak's height in feet.

b. Find the three median points A, B, and C.

b. Find the coordinates of the centroid D of ABC.

c. Find the equation of the median-median line. Round values to the nearest whole numbers.

d. According to your equation, how high is the 2nd highest peak? the 3rd highest? the 9th highest?

e. How well does your equation predict the height of the highest peaks?

f. Find the lengths of the world's 9 longest rivers. Write the data as coordinate pairs (ranking, length), where ranking is a river's position on the list from 1 to 9, and length is a river's length in miles.

g. Find the equation of the median-median line for the world's 9 longest rivers.

 

Part D, Making Connections

3. Go to the Edmund's Used Car page to look at a selection of used vehicles.

a. Pick your favorite kind of car and make a table of data points (year, price) for the last 9 years. Don't forget to use the same model of car each time. Note: For cars that have fewer than 9 years of data, use only 6 years.

b. Make a scatter plot of your data.

c. Find the equation of the median-median line.

d. Use your data to predict the price of a 10-year-old model of your car.

e. Check the actual data to see how close you were.