Whelk-Come to Mathematics: Northwestern Crows

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Whelk-Come to Mathematics: Northwestern Crows

Description:

Sea gulls and crows feed on various types of mollusks by lifting them into the air and dropping them onto a rock to break open their shells. Biologists have observed that northwestern crows consistently drop a type of mollusk called a whelk from a mean height of about 5 meters. The crows appear to be selective; they pick up only large-sized whelks. They are also persistent. For instance, one crow was observed to drop a single whelk 20 times. Scientists have suggested that this behavior is an example of decision-making in optimal foraging. In this activity, students try to figure out why the crows consistently fly to a height of about 5 meters before dropping a whelk onto the rocks below.

Education Levels:

9, 10, 11, 12

Subject:

Probability, Functions

Resource Type:

Activity

Medium:

Text/HTML

Fee Status:

Free

Beneficiary:

Students

Online provider:

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Show more properties

Keywords:

Flight paths, Height, Mollusks

Mediator:

Secondary school teachers

Publisher:

NCTM Illuminations

Is Part Of:

http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=U143

Language:

English

General

Essential Resources:

Computers with Internet access

Learning Time:

1 class period

Referenced Resources/Versions

Has Part:

http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L481

Has Part:

http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L482

Has Part:

http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L483

Subjects/Topics

P21 Subject:

Mathematics

Learning Outcomes:

Conforms To

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000)

Data Analysis and Probability

Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them

understand histograms, parallel box plots, and scatterplots and use them to display data

Conforms To

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000)

Data Analysis and Probability

Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them

understand the meaning of measurement data and categorical data, of univariate and bivariate data, and of the term variable

Conforms To

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000)

Data Analysis and Probability

Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data

identify trends in bivariate data and find functions that model the data or transform the data so that they can be modeled

Broad Correlation

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (2010)

High School — Statistics and Probability^★

Interpreting Categorical and Quantitative Data

Summarize, represent, and interpret data on a single count or measurement variable

Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots).

This data provided by the Achievement Standards Network

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Whelk-Come to Mathematics: Northwestern Crows

Whelk-Come to Mathematics: Northwestern Crows

General

Referenced Resources/Versions

Subjects/Topics

Learning Outcomes:

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