Communicating Quantitative Information

IntroductionsMore women murdered on the job

Homework: Sign up on moodle, Start reading/doing

postings.

Introductions• Jeanine Meyer, Ph.D. in Computer Science

– Formerly at IBM, Pace University

• Author: Multimedia in the Classroom, Programming Games in Visual Basic, Creating Web Database Applications using php and asp, Beginning Scripting Through Game Creation– book in process on HTML5

• Interests/Hobbies: news, politics, programming, origami, knitting & crocheting, cooking & eating, travel

• Son: college professor (!) at Illinois Institute of Technology, daughter: works in Carmel office of Congressman John Hall plus political work

• You?

Course• Teach mathematics/quantitative reasoning

in the context of topics that often show up in the news.– Application of concepts. Authentic use.– Work will include calculations & writing

(including use of graphs and diagrams)

• Many topics/lessons already planned. May change depending on what happens in the news and/or your responses.

WILL

Theory• People allow themselves to be stupid or ignorant

in mathematics (mathematics topics).– More common in USA than elsewhere….– Means you don't try

• Don't do it!• You can master the level of work required in this

course….and the level that will make you a better consumer of news.

Why I’m not…

Old photo.

Course Structure• Class lecture/discussion

– Come prepared to work

• Outside of class– Read newspapers (The New York Times plus others)– Make postings on moodle & read postings

• MUST MAKE AT LEAST 1 POSTING EACH WEEK!!!

– Homework

• Two major projects– Present "story", with appropriate charts & diagrams

and prepare 1-page abstract, chart(s), sources

Computer labs

• Spreadsheet and graphing

• Finding information– Government data– gapminder.org– www.fivethirtyeight.com

• will be changing to blog under/with New York Times

– Other

Postings assignment

• Identify news story involving mathematics, statistics, maps, money, records, testing, surveys, science, etc.– Include bibliographic citation– Include link, if on-line

• Find the on-line New York Times link if you read it in the regular paper

• You may use other on-line sources• You may use TV and radio if you capture relevant information

• Summarize story in your own words• Assess writing in article

– Any information missing? Any mis-leading conclusions?

• Note: you can focus on diagrams or include diagrams in your analysis

Diagrams

• Graphical presentations of quantitative information

• Example:– A Map of Olympic Medals

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/20080804_MEDALCOUNT_MAP.html

– What determines position of circles? Color? Size?

– Is the diagram successful?

Answers…questions• Positioning of countries is according to geography

(something viewer is expected to know). It is a table laid out by geography.

• Time dimension offered interactively (dynamically)• Missing?

– Does provide historic context– Context in terms of population size is missing or… up to viewer

• Is it successful? – My answer: pretty good…

• it brings out things you may not have noticed• You spend time with it

– Your answer?

Postings assignment, cont.• Do a minimum of 4 original postings spread throughout

the first 12 weeks of the term.• Do at least 1 posting each week

– Answer any question I pose in class– Comment on someone else's posting– Reply to someone else's comment on your posting…– Describe related article in another source (including blog, TV,

etc.)• Writing counts! Proofread posting. Capitalize

appropriately. Make use of formatting. May even use attachments.

• Note: It is acceptable to write that you didn't understand or appreciate the point of the article (but try!). It may be accurate to point out that there was information missing.

Mathematics is…

Not only numbers

Also patterns & relationships

For example:

TopicNews event

Specific articleStudent's assessment

Materials

• PowerPoint charts (such as file for this lecture) will be posted on-line

• Moodle Discussion Boards: for general discussion, for postings, and for Projects I and II

• I will send email, sometimes with articles

• I will post sources.

• You, also, will post sources!

Structure for Class

• Present topic and/or actual news story• Explain mathematics• Optionally: exercise• Identify concepts & lessons

• Homework– May be posting– May be written work for next time– May be opportunity for extra credit

More women than men murdered on the job

(Actual front page news story in The New York Times 1993 or 1994. I noted this story on my own, but it is/was featured in collection of bad stories.)

People die 'on the job'.Of the people who die 'on the job', 93% are men

and 7% are women.Of the men who die 'on the job', 14% are

murdered.Of the women who die 'on the job', 40% are

murdered.

Exercise

• Draw a line andmark off 93%mark off 14% of the 93%

mark off 40% of the 7%

• Quick: what is the (approximate) percentage of murdered men? Murdered women?

Questions/reflections

• Is the headline accurate?

• Does this tell you how many people die on the job?

• Say that 2000 people died that year OTJ, – how many were men? – How many were women? – How many men were murdered? – How many women were murdered?

Lessons & questions

• Be careful when using percentages of percentages to represent comparable values.

• Questions are lessons! – Out of what? Compared to what? What is the basis

for the percentage (the denominator for a fraction)?– What are comparable numbers?

• Perhaps 93% versus 7%. What is conclusion?• What is ratio of men workers to all workers?

– What [else] is killing the men?

Lessons & Questions, cont.

• What are the definition of terms?– 'on the job'– 'murdered'

• When firemen die fighting a fire, is it murder if the fire was arson?

• Were the victims on 9/11 murdered?

• When did the event(s) occur? Is a significant one time occurrence effecting the results? Presumably, the figures could be different for 2001 than 1993, though probably not: male domination of police, firemen, Pentagon, and World Trade Center workers).

AIDS expenses

"AIDS funding increased more under President Reagan than any prior president."

• Question: When is it appropriate to 'start the clock'? Comparisons at the start (and end) are more problematical than in the middle.

Repeat: Questions

• Out of what? Compared to what?• What is basis / what is denominator?• Is there missing information? Missing

factors?• What are the definitions?• When?• Cause to effect?• For sets of data, what is the distribution?

Mnemonic: 5 D’s• Definition

– of the thing being written about, the group studied and– The statistical/mathematical terms

• Denominator: out of what• Distribution: most situations involve sets of data, with not

all at the same value.• What’s the Difference? Compared to what? This versus

that? What’s the context? Is this a big thing? Who cares? Why is this a story? Is it a story?

• Dimension – Definition: aspect, measurable attribute, measure of space or

extent• Space has 3 dimensions / is 3-Dimensional

– Especially significant in diagrams

[My] Posting

• Once a Leader, U.S. Lags in College Degrees: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/education/23college.html?_r=1

• Context (what's the difference) – geographic: comparison to other countries (general)

and by states (map)– time: general

• Distribution: not doneLOOK IT UP ON MOODLE. Read the article.

Comment.

Women out-earning Men in NYC

• [Look up articles in Gotham Gazette, New York Times, elsewhere, appearing in August, 2008]

• Real story: women in their 20s in NYC are more likely to have college degrees than men in their 20s in NYC.

• This may relate to previous article/topic. What is gender breakdown in USA, other places?

• Note: I exchanged emails with Andrew Beveridge, the researcher. These people are accessible.

• Comment?• What about Purchase?• Posting possibility

Puzzle

• Yesterday, when the market dropped, John's stock portfolio decreased in value by 20%. Today, the market took a turn for the better. How much will John's portfolio need to increase in value to bring it back to its original value?

Puzzle

• In 2004, the population of Purchase College is 4000. Assume it grows at the rate of 5% each year. What will it be in 2006?

Question

• What are the 5 D's?

Homework

• Sign up / confirm information on Moodle.

• Start reading The New York Times and other newspapers and paying attention to other media for possible postings