Math Lab: Exploring Buoyancy Using Linear Regression
Help me give my students the opportunity to complete labs in math. Creating a hands-on lesson is fun and engaging and students can collect and read their own data.
I teach statistics, a new course that was introduced to our district last year. This course is for students who typically struggle in the algebraic world but want to continue taking math. I love their determination to keep trying math.
My students are curious and they want to learn.
My students love working together to understand these new ideas in statistics. They are amazed at this other type of math where you no longer have to solve for x. They love being able to explain the results they get when looking at data and seeing how that can alter answers.
My Project
We will be doing a lab in our statistics class. Normally math teachers panic when they think about doing a lab in class but we jump with excitement. In statics, we have the opportunity to explore and look at data that we create ourselves.
My students will use their data to predict an outcome using linear regression.
My students will explore how buoyancy changes for objects of different volumes. They will be using the sand to find the natural buoyancy of different sized containers. The scales will help them calculate the amount of sand needed for each container. They will then plot their data for the different containers and use linear regression to predict the amount of sand needed to make the mystery container reach neutral buoyancy.
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