This week, we are doing population sampling projects. The first was to take a tub of dried beans and determine the actual percentage of certain beans (there were 20 types of beans in all, we only counted 7 of them) in the total population by taking samples. We then used the samples taken to take averages to try to determine the population proportion (the percentage that each bean being counted was present in the tub). The second project involved trying to determine the total number of one kind of bean in a tub. Initially students guessed that there were 600 beans, maybe 1000. After marking a fair number of beans (we had to mark 190!), we determined that the mean number was 4400 beans. I mentioned briefly that there was a really good chance that the actual number of beans was in the 4000-4800 range.

We start a new unit tomorrow (Thurs 4/15) in geometry beginning looking at squares and square roots. This unit will take us through the end of the year.

HHH