How Do You Measure Up - Texas Instruments TI-73 Teachers Manual

Activity 3

How Do You Measure Up?

Students discover the ratio between their heights and
the lengths of their intestines. This activity is a good
introduction to using lists to find the mean and
performing operations on lists.
Setup
Ask students: How long do you think your small
intestine is?
Have each student estimate the length of their
intestine in meters or feet, and then cut a piece of
string this length.
Tape a long strip of masking tape on the floor as the
horizontal axis, and then make a vertical bar graph
using the students' pieces of strings.
Activity — Part A
In this part, students find the average length of their small
intestines. Have students perform the steps unless
otherwise indicated.
Number Sense
ratios
mean
estimation
measurement
Materials
tape measures or rulers for students
to measure their heights
ball of string
scissors
masking tape
TI-73 
You may want to do this
part of the setup in the
hall or some place with a
large area of floor space.
© 1998 T I
EXAS NSTRUMENTS
9
I
NCORPORATED