1. Lesson 3

Mathematics 30-3 Module 4

Module 4: Statistics

 

Lesson 3: Weighted Means

 
Focus

 

This is a photograph of a black calf standing in a pasture of long grass.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

In July 2011, Alberta was the leading beef producing province in Canada with 40% of all cattle. Before cattle are sold, they are graded using Canadian Beef Grading Standards to ensure consistency and high quality of the beef for eating and retail appearance.

 

What characteristics of cattle do you think a buyer would find important? Are all of the characteristics equally important? How can a scoring system account for some qualities being more important than others?

 

Lesson Outcomes

 

At the end of this lesson you will be able to

  • calculate the mean of a set of numbers after allowing the data to have different weightings
  • explain why some data in a set would be given greater weighting in determining the mean
  • solve problems that involve weighted mean
Lesson Questions

 

You will investigate the following questions:

  • When is a weighted mean used?
  • When are some data values worth more than others?
  • How do you determine a weighted mean?
Assessment

 

Your assessment may be based on a combination of the following tasks:

  • completion of the Lesson 3 Assignment (Download the Lesson 3 Assignment and save it in your course folder now.)
  • course folder submissions from Try This and Share activities
  • additions to Glossary Terms
  • work under Project Connection
Materials and Equipment

 

You will need

  • calculator