PROJECT 3.6: fling machine
description
There are many ways to solve a problem. Sometimes it is as simple as applying a piece of duct tape. Other times it takes months or years for a product to progress from an idea into full-scale production. In this activity your team will quickly design and build a device that will send a cotton ball as far as possible through the air.
conclusion
Analyze the cotton ball travel distance data that you collected.
a. Record the travel distances of the cotton ball that you measured during the testing phase below and create a dot plot of your data.
b. Create a histogram of your data using five class intervals.
c. Is the data normally distributed? Justify your answer.
Yes, there are no extreme values.
d. Calculate the mean, median, range and sample standard deviation of the travel distances of the cotton ball.
mean: 24.71 ft
median:24.15 ft
range:24.65 ft
standard deviation:0.9243
e. Give a range of travel distances within which you would predict that 95% of all cotton balls launched with your device would fall. For example, you might predict that 95% of the cotton balls that you launch would travel between 2.25 ft and 3.00 ft. Justify your answer.
23 ft and 25.5 ft, where all my cotton balls fell.
Do you feel that the statistical analysis results would be a better measure of performance when comparing alternate devices that the distance traveled by a cotton ball in a single attempt? Why or why not?
Yes, gives a greater data set, which will always breed more accuracy.
How would you recommend using the results of your statistical analysis of travel distances to assess device performance (rather than giving points for the distance of the single attempt allowed in the challenge)?
Use the mean as your score.
If you had the opportunity to optimize your design, how would you increase the distance that the cotton ball moves?
Modified the cotton ball.
If you had the opportunity to optimize your design, how would reduce the amount of materials used?
Not use plastic cups, of used more of a toilet paper roll enclosed.
How could you improve the effectiveness of your team?
By modifying the cottonball.
a. Record the travel distances of the cotton ball that you measured during the testing phase below and create a dot plot of your data.
b. Create a histogram of your data using five class intervals.
c. Is the data normally distributed? Justify your answer.
Yes, there are no extreme values.
d. Calculate the mean, median, range and sample standard deviation of the travel distances of the cotton ball.
mean: 24.71 ft
median:24.15 ft
range:24.65 ft
standard deviation:0.9243
e. Give a range of travel distances within which you would predict that 95% of all cotton balls launched with your device would fall. For example, you might predict that 95% of the cotton balls that you launch would travel between 2.25 ft and 3.00 ft. Justify your answer.
23 ft and 25.5 ft, where all my cotton balls fell.
Do you feel that the statistical analysis results would be a better measure of performance when comparing alternate devices that the distance traveled by a cotton ball in a single attempt? Why or why not?
Yes, gives a greater data set, which will always breed more accuracy.
How would you recommend using the results of your statistical analysis of travel distances to assess device performance (rather than giving points for the distance of the single attempt allowed in the challenge)?
Use the mean as your score.
If you had the opportunity to optimize your design, how would you increase the distance that the cotton ball moves?
Modified the cotton ball.
If you had the opportunity to optimize your design, how would reduce the amount of materials used?
Not use plastic cups, of used more of a toilet paper roll enclosed.
How could you improve the effectiveness of your team?
By modifying the cottonball.