Earth's history in 4.56 meters: constructing a timeline with calculator tape part of Activity Collection
An activity where students make a geologic timeline from calculator tape.

Coke vs. Pepsi Taste Test: Experiments and Inference about Cause part of Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
The Coke vs. Pepsi Taste Test Challenge has students design and carry out an experiment to determine whether or not students are able to correctly identify two brands of cola in a blind taste test. In the first ...

Reese's Pieces Activity: Sampling from a Population part of Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
This activity uses simulation to help students understand sampling variability and reason about whether a particular samples result is unusual, given a particular hypothesis. By using first candies, then a web applet, and varying sample size, students learn that larger samples give more stable and better estimates of a population parameter and develop an appreciation for factors affecting sampling variability.

The Floating Lithosphere - Isostasy part of Activity Collection
Students are asked to numerically and then analytically determine the relations governing the depth of compensation.

How Big is a Trillion? part of Teaching Methods:Teaching Quantitative Reasoning with the News:Examples
Perhaps the first skill needed for successful quantitative reasoning is the ability to understand a single number. Newspaper headlines over the last year have used some amazingly large figures when discussing the ...

Cost Effectiveness of Increased Fuel Efficiency part of Teaching Methods:Teaching Quantitative Reasoning with the News:Examples
In this example students examine and critique an argument which implies that it is not cost effective to pay for an automobile with increased fuel efficiency. Using a few reasonable assumptions shows that some of ...

Exploring Radiometric Dating with Dice part of Activity Collection
An activity in which students use dice to explore radioactive decay and dating and make simple calculations.

World Population Activity I: Excel part of Teaching Methods:Mathematical and Statistical Models:Examples
(Activity 1 of 2) This activity is primarily intended as an introductory tutorial on using Excel. Students use Excel to explore population dynamics using the Logistic equation for (S-shaped) population growth.

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Percentage of Copper in Ore part of Activity Collection
Question Suppose that you are building a new house. It will take about 90 kg (198 pounds) of copper to do the electrical wiring. In order to get the copper in the first place, someone needs to mine solid rock that ...

Something is Askew at Mammoth Cave National Park part of Teaching Methods:Teaching with SSAC:Examples
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum/Geology of National Parks module. Students use the geometric mean and multiplicative standard deviation to examine the right-skewed distribution of nutrient concentrations in water-quality data at Mammoth Cave National Park.