MathQ114 Average Rate of Change 2



MathQ114 Average Rate of Change 2 (2003 Maura Mast & Mark Pawlak

1. Open the file USMEDAGE.XLS in the Excel data files folder.

2. What does median age of 22.9 years in the year 1900 mean? Explain.

3. What pattern do you observe in the U.S. median age over time from 1850 to 2050? Describe the pattern in complete sentences.

4. Save the spreadsheet to your zip disk.

5. Create a new column and title it Ave rate of Chg (for average rate of change).

6. In the first cell of this column, corresponding to the year 1850, enter N.A. Answer the following question: Why is it not appropriate to enter a value for the average rate of change for the year 1850?

7. In the next cell down, enter the formula for calculating the average rate of change for the years 1850 to 1860.

8. Copy and paste this formula in the cells below from 1870 to 2050.

9. Select the years 1860 to 2050, then, while holding down the Apple key, also select the corresponding cells in the Ave rate of Chg column.

10. Click on the Chart Wizzard and select scatterplots.; and select the scatterplot with data points connected by straight lines.

11. Title your graph Average rate of change for US Median Age and label the axis.

Answer the following questions and discuss your responses with your partner(s).

1. Over which decades was the average rate of change of the Median age of the U.S. population a positive number?

2. Over which decades was the average rate of change of the Median age of the U.S. population a negative number?

3. Are there any decades over which the average rate of change of the Median age of the U.S. population is zero?

4. Compare the decades where the average rate of change of the Median age of the U.S. population was a positive number to the actual median ages for those same years. Interpret the meaning of the average rate of change for these years.

5. Compare the decades where the average rate of change of the Median age of the U.S. population was a negative number to the actual median ages for those same years. Interpret the meaning of the average rate of change for these years.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download