Learning Goal
Part of: Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems — 2 of 3 cluster items
Define appropriate quantities
**HSN.Q.A.2**: Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.
"In high school, students encounter a wider variety of units in modeling, e.g., acceleration, currency conversions, derived quantities such as person-hours and heating degree days, social science rates such as per-capita income, and rates in everyday life such as points scored per game or batting averages. They also encounter novel situations in which they themselves must conceive the attributes of interest. For example, to find a good measure of overall highway safety, they might propose measures such as fatalities per year, fatalities per year per driver, or fatalities per vehicle-mile traveled. Such a conceptual process is sometimes called quantification. Quantification is important for science, as when surface area suddenly 'stands out' as an important variable in evaporation. Quantification is also important for companies, which must conceptualize relevant attributes and create or choose suitable measures for them."
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HSN.Q.A.2: Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.
"In high school, students encounter a wider variety of units in modeling, e.g., acceleration, currency conversions, derived quantities such as person-hours and heating degree days, social science rates such as per-capita income, and rates in everyday life such as points scored per game or batting averages. They also encounter novel situations in which they themselves must conceive the attributes of interest. For example, to find a good measure of overall highway safety, they might propose measures such as fatalities per year, fatalities per year per driver, or fatalities per vehicle-mile traveled. Such a conceptual process is sometimes called quantification. Quantification is important for science, as when surface area suddenly 'stands out' as an important variable in evaporation. Quantification is also important for companies, which must conceptualize relevant attributes and create or choose suitable measures for them."
What you'll learn
- Explain what quantification means and distinguish between an attribute and a measurable quantity
- Evaluate competing measures for the same real-world attribute, explaining what each captures and what it misses
- Select an appropriate standard quantity (such as a per-capita rate or compound measure like person-hours) for a given descriptive modeling situation
- Design a novel measure for an attribute that lacks a standard unit, checking it for dimensional sense and appropriate behavior
- Defend a quantity choice in writing, stating what the measure captures, its units, and its limitations
Prerequisites
Slides
Interactive presentations perfect for visual learners • 2 slide decks
Slide Video
Watch narrated slides play like a video lesson • Narrated slide playback
Task-sets
Learning resource • 1 task-sets