How much should you budget for gasoline (per gallon)? Explain your reasoning based on the data set above. Keep in mind that you want to budget enough money for fuel expenses, but not too much, since there are other expenses for your business.
Overview
In this activity, students are given a scenario, a list of 30 data points, and asked to make decisions based on their prior knowledge of descriptive statistics. Students should use a measure of center (mean, median, mode) and a measure of spread (interquartile range, standard deviation) in their explanation. Students may also choose to provide a plot of the sample data (histogram, stem plot, dot plot, etc).
Standards
Computational Thinking in STEM
- Data Practices
- Analyzing Data
- Manipulating Data
- Visualizing Data
- Modeling and Simulation Practices
- Using Computational Models to Understand a Concept
- Computational Problem Solving Practices
- Computer Programming
Activities
- 1. Engage - Creating a budget
Student Directions and Resources
Suppose that you own a trucking company. Each month, you budget for fuel expenses but the price of gasoline fluctuates from day to day. You gather a sample of prices per gallon from 30 different gas stations in your area. Your goal is to decide how much to budget for fuel expenses (in terms of price per gallon).
1. Engage - Creating a budget
Suppose that you own a trucking company. Each month, you budget for fuel expenses but the price of gasoline fluctuates from day to day. You gather a sample of prices per gallon from 30 different gas stations in your area.
| Gas Station (#) | Price per gallon (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3.21 |
| 2 | 3.42 |
| 3 | 3.33 |
| 4 | 3.41 |
| 5 | 3.09 |
| 6 | 3.16 |
| 7 | 3.17 |
| 8 | 3.00 |
| 9 | 3.11 |
| 10 | 2.98 |
| 11 | 3.78 |
| 12 | 3.56 |
| 13 | 3.67 |
| 14 | 3.44 |
| 15 | 3.64 |
| 16 | 3.50 |
| 17 | 3.44 |
| 18 | 3.19 |
| 19 | 3.25 |
| 20 | 3.37 |
| 21 | 3.39 |
| 22 | 3.41 |
| 23 | 3.40 |
| 24 | 3.46 |
| 25 | 3.39 |
| 26 | 3.49 |
| 27 | 3.71 |
| 28 | 3.26 |
| 29 | 3.31 |
| 30 | 3.38 |
