Math & YOU | 7.1 Linear Patterns

7.1 Linear Patterns

Page

Math Help
As you study Chapter 7, note that in mathematics, the term line means straight line.

The graph shown in Example 1(a) is called a scatter plot. A scatter plot is very useful in detecting patterns in data. You can use a spreadsheet to create a scatter plot similar to the one in Example 1(a) using the steps below.
Create a spreadsheet like the one shown.

Select cells A2 through A12 and B2 through B12.

From the Insert menu, choose Chart....

Select the Standard Types tab. Under Chart type:, select XY (Scatter). Then click Next.

Click Next again.

Select the Titles tab. Enter "Men's Height" for Chart title:, "Femur length (in.)" for Value (X) axis:, and "Height (in.)" for Value (Y) axis:.

Select the Legend tab. Uncheck Show legend. Click Finish.
Consumer Suggestion

For an interactive checkup that will tell you whether you are at risk for osteoporosis and other bone problems, go to Check Up On Your Bones on The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website.
Checkpoint Solution
1. A table showing the relationship between femur length and height in women is shown in the spreadsheet below.
2. From the graph, you can see that all the data points lie on a line.
Comments (2)
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the information on this page is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate copyright. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.
When posting a comment, you agree to our Terms of Use.
Add new comment as Guest or Login. Not Registered? Register

Please enter the code displayed below:

____ ___ _ _ _____ | _ \\ / _ \\ | | | || | ___|| ___ | |_| || | / \ || | |/\| || | ||__ / || | . // | \_/ || | /\ || | ||__ | [] || |_|\_\\ \___// |_// \_|| |_____|| \__ || `-` --` `---` `-` `-` `-----` -|_|| `-`
Showing 2 comments

Sort by

Subscribe by email

Subscribe comments by email

Email

Subscribe by RSS

Cody (moderator)1 decade ago |

Some dance routines incorporate mathematics to add a certain balance and organization. To read about a routine that incorporates a linear pattern, check out the "Math in the News" section of our blog.

http://www.andyou.com/blog/math-in-the-news/math-in-the-news-linear-patterns/

0 0

Ron Larson (author)1 decade ago |

I saw a documentary on television that did a study of the femurs of Roman soldiers and concluded that the average height was only 5' 4". I thought this was surprising.

2 0