Thursday, August 21, 2008

New Year. New Faces.

Look for your homework below. Accel Math is in red and AP Stat is in blue.
Here's a treat for those who made it this far. Watch for the back flip and the dismount.

Calculator news! Check out these deals:
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=874733

Welcome to the first posting of the new school year. Until the school website is updated with the new course, both AP Statistics and Accelerated Math I will share this blog. Both groups should change the batteries in their calculators.

Accelerated Math I- No HW for Monday 8/11. We generated some data today and began to analyze the class results. We'll continue to analyze the results tomorrow and look at data that are not discrete. Our primary topics for these few days center on functions and independent and dependent variables.
The Accelerated Math assignment for Tuesday night 8/12 is to complete the worksheet handed out in class (Fiona #1). For Thursday 8/14 night, students should complete problems 2 & 3 from Fiona worksheet #2.

Over the weekend, (8/15) make sure that you have finished problem #3 from the Fiona worksheet (using the results from problem 1!!!). Be careful. There are multiple parts to each section. Describe your method and the meaning.

HW for 8/18: Complete the yellow sheet: Problem #5. Be sure to answer all the questions asked.

HW for 8/19: Do as many of these as you need to become proficient--
Make up two ordered pairs of numbers. Calculate the slope of the line through those points. Calculate the y-intercept of the same line. Write the equation of the line through those points.

Hints: You can use the slope formula m = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1) to calculate the slope and the slope-intercept or point-slope formula to determine the y-intercept.

For 8/20:Finish the salmon (orange) worksheet you picked up in class. Answers should be on your own paper. The quiz results were mostly good. Most common error: graphing a line instead of dots when the domain only contains discrete points. We have to pay attention to these details.

For 8/21: Graph y = x-squared, y = 2 x-squared, and y = x-squared + 2 on the same graph we started in class. Use colored pencil if you can to differentiate among the graphs.


Calculator recommendations: The ideal calculators for Accel. Math I, Accel Math 2, and all higher math courses (including AP STAT) are the TI-83 and TI-84 families of calculators. The silver editions are preferrred, because they have more memory and more spaces for useful programmed applications. The TI-nspire calculator also has these capabilities and more. For an extra $30 or so you get something akin to a hand-held computer.

The TI-86 and TI-89 do not have the same sets of functions that the 83-84-nspire calculators do, and are not as useful in these courses.

AP Stat- We began to interpret an interesting graph. We'll continue to analyze the given graph and to generate some additional data tomorrow. HW for Monday 8/11: Describe in detail how to tie a shoelace. Tues 8/12: write up the directions for entering data (ordered pairs) into your calculator, graphing a scatterplot, and generating the best fit line. You will need to know how to perform these actions for the labs on Wednesday. For Thursday 8/14: Compute the number of days until the beginning of the next millenium showing all work. Explain your calculations and assumptions as you go.

AP Stat students - HW due Monday Aug. 18: Select 4 negative and 4 positive numbers with decimal parts between -6 and 6. (For example, -1.96 and 1.645). We will call those z-scores. Knowing that the mean (mu) of IQ scores according to a particular test is 100 and the standard deviation (sigma) is 15, compute the IQ scores that correspond to the eight z-values you chose. Check your work using the formula z = (x - mu)/sigma. . . also known as difference on the top and the error on the bottom.

Calculator recommendations are embedded in the Accel Math I information above.
Be safe.


HW for 8/18: Find the estimated IQ scores of 8 celebrities. Convert the IQ scores to z-scores. Of course, show the celebrity's name, his/her IQ score, and the z-score for that measurement.

HW for 8/19: (1) REWRITE the example that we used today in class, cleaning it up and adding explanations to the example. You should have both the old version and the new version in your notes. (2) Select a set of numerical data with at least 10 values. Using the notes as a guide, calculate the mean and sample standard deviation of your set of data by creating columns as shown. Create a histogram of your data.

HW for 8/20: find all the combinations of five integers [0,5], with minimum average, with maximum average, with minimum standard deviation, and with maximum standard deviation. First assume that numbers can be repeated, then do the problem again with no repeated numbers.

HW for 8/21: Find a site online with the rules for logarithms and re-learn them to be prepared for the mental exercises of Friday.

Click here for a cool site for histograms.

Click here for a decent site that shows how to calculate standard deviations.