Richard Fuhr
In these days of financial turmoil on “Wall Street” and on “Main Street” here is an excellent web page that has some interactive graphs: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26797480 .
Unlike most graphs that students initially encounter, these have no corresponding simple formulas. Nevertheless (or perhaps because they don’t have easy formulas) they are extremely relevant and instructive.
By checking one or more of the boxes on the right side of that web page, you can see graphs of the following as functions of time.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average
- The Unemployment Rate In The United States
- The Cost Of A Barrel Of Crude Oil
- The Cost Of A Gallon Of Gasoline
It is particularly instructive to see how the graph of the cost of a barrel of crude oil corresponds with the graph of the cost of a gallon of gasoline. Note that for some (but not all) intervals, these two functions correlate pretty well. Also note that the two (unlabeled!) scales of values on the Y-axis for these two graphs must be different in order for the graphs to appear as they do.
November 11, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Perhaps using these graphs in a math lesson can also include a quick discussion on when it is appropriate to represent information using a graph (vs. a pie chart, histogram, etc.) and if that choice impacts the way that the information is presented and understood. For the GED, ask the student where they have seen these graphs used before, and if they have understood the data. I tend to see GED students having difficulty with visual literacy: reading maps, decoding graphs and charts.