Spinoffs
SPINOFFS
Spinoffs are relatively short learning modules inspired by the LTAs. They can be easily
implemented to support student learning in courses ranging from prealgebra through calculus.
The Spinoffs typically give students an opportunity to use mathematics in a real world context.
LTA - SPINOFF 9A
Descriptive Statistics for Shuttle Data
LTA - SPINOFF 9B
Standard Deviations of Time Spent in the OPFs
LTA - SPINOFF 9C
Scatterplots and Regression Lines with the TI-92™
Marcella Laddon - AMATYC Writing Team Member
Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, California
Janet Tarjan - AMATYC Writing Team Member
Bakersfield Community College, Bakersfield, California
Amanda Mitskevich - NASA Scientist/Engineer
Kennedy Space center, Florida
Project Grant Team
John S. Pazdar
Patricia L. Hirschy
Project Director
Principal Investigator
Capital Comm-Tech College
Asnuntuck Comm-Tech College
Hartford, Connecticut
Enfield, Connecticut
This project was supported, in part, by the
Peter A. Wursthorn
National Science Foundation
Principal Investigator
Opinions expressed are those of the authors
Capital Comm-Tech College
and not necessarily those of the Foundation
Hartford, Connecticut
NASA - AMATYC - NSF
9 . 3 3
SPINOFF 9A
Descriptive Statistics for Shuttle Data
Each Shuttle flight generates large amounts of data. In this Spinoff, you will be asked to draw
conclusions about mission duration, flight distance, altitude, and number of orbits based on the
data in Table 9A. The information in Table 9A has been adapted from Space Shuttle: The History
of Developing the National Space Transportation System by Dennis R. Jenkins.
Table 9A
col. 1 col. 2 col. 3 col. 4 col. 5 col. 6 col. 7 col. 8
Flight Launch
Mission
Mission
Flight
Flight
Altitude N o . o f
#
Date
Duration
Duration Distance Distance (in (miles at Orbits
(hrs:mins: (hrs as
(miles)
thousands
apogee)
secs)
decimal
of miles)
to
nearest
tenth)
1
4/12/81
54:20:32
54.4 1,074,567
1075
166
36
2
11/12/81
54:13:13
54.2 1,074,757
1075
157
36
3
3/22/82
192:04:45
3,334,904
3335
147
129
4
6/27/82
169:09:40
2,900,000
197
112
5
11/11/82
122:14:26
2,110,849
184
80
6
4/4/83
122:14:26
2,094,293
178
81
7
6/18/83
146:23:59
2,530,567
195
97
8
8/30/83
145:08:43
2,514,478
191
97
9
11/28/83
247:47:24
4,295,853
155
166
10
2/3/84
191:15:55
3,311,380
202
127
11
4/6/84
167:40:27
2,870,000
313
107
12
8/30/84
144:56:04
2,490,000
205
96
13
10/5/84
197:23:33
3,434,444
218
132
14
11/8/84
191:44:56
3,289,406
224
126
15
1/24/85
73:33:23
1,250,000
220
48
16
4/12/85
167:55:23
2,889,785
289
109
17
4/29/85
168:08:46
2,890,383
222
110
18
6/17/85
169:38:53
2,916,127
240
111
19
7/29/85
190:45:26
3,282,543
207
126
20
8/27/85
170:18:29
2,919,576
278
111
NASA - AMATYC - NSF
9 . 3 4
Exercises
1. a) Complete column 4 by converting the mission duration times to hours rounded to one
decimal place. Start the rounding process by converting the seconds to the nearest
minute (0 or 1).
b) Calculate the mean and median of the times in column 4. What information do these
statistics give you about the duration times?
c) Sketch a histogram of the duration times.
d) Identify the modal class from the histogram. What is its meaning in the context of mission
duration times?
2. a) Complete column 6 by rounding the flight distances to the nearest thousands of miles, and
write your answer in units of 1000 miles.
b) Find the mean and median of the flight distances in column 6. What information do these
statistics give you about the flight distances?
c) Sketch a histogram of the flight distances.
d) Identify the modal class from the histogram. What is its meaning in the context of flight
distances?
3. a) Explain the meaning of “altitude” as used in this Spinoff. This will require a definition of
the term, apogee. Include a sketch in your answer.
b) Find the mean and median of the altitudes. What information do these statistics give you?
c) Sketch a histogram of the altitudes.
d) Identify the modal class from the histogram. What is its meaning in the context of
altitudes?
4. a) Make a scatterplot of the data with the number of orbits on the x-axis and the mission
duration times on the y-axis.
b) Is there a pattern to the scatterplot? If so, is it linear? What does this tell you
about the relationship between the mission duration times and the number of orbits?
NASA - AMATYC - NSF
9 . 3 5
