Mathematics in

the Modern
World
Course Material in Mathematics

Jenette C. Pangilinan
Course Instructor
2 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

MATHEMATICS AS A
TOOL 6
LEARNING OUTCOMES

Here’s what I will teach you in this course material:

LESSON OUTLINE
• Apply statistics in problem solving and sound reasoning using sampling,
• Measures of tables, graphs, measures and statistical techniques.
Dispersion • Differentiate the measures of Dispersion.
Unit Outline • Determine the strength and magnitude of a correlation coefficient.
• Scatter Plots, • Use technology for problem solving in statistics.
Correlation and
Regression

RESOURCES NEEDED
For this lesson, you would need the following resources:

• Textbook:

• Video:

• Website:
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 3
LAGUNA

PRE-TEST
Before you start, try answering the following:

[Link] the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV) in the following statements.

1. An athletic trainer wants to be able to predict the cardiac output from his clients’ level of exercise.
IV: ________________________________________
DV: ________________________________________
2. The more time spent in studying, the higher the GPA is.
IV: ________________________________________
DV: ________________________________________
3. The smaller the ball, the faster it drops to the ground.
IV: ________________________________________
DV: ________________________________________

II. A group of scientists went on an expedition to the mountain range in Sierra Madre, Philippines to study
the different species of plants existing in that area. The ages of the scientists are 34, 35,45, 56, 32, 25, and
40. Using the data;
a. Compute the range, mean, median, interquartile range, standard deviation and variance
b. Draw a box-and-whisker plot based on the result.
4 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

PRE-ACTIVITY
Direction:

I. Analyze the data below and answer the following questions:

Performance in
Student Mathematics (x) English (y)
A 78 79
B 77 80
C 88 85
D 84 78
E 80 89
F 85 80
G 79 80
H 88 85

a. What is the mean of the students’ grade in Mathematics? In English?

b. Is there a relationship between the students’ grade in Mathematics and in English?
Explain.

II. Using the data in the table, draw scatter plot/diagram.

 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 5
LAGUNA

MEASURES OF DISPERSION
Measures of central tendency are not enough to describe sets of data. What if
the mean of two sets of data are the same? In this case, measures of dispersion
CONTENT AND come to play.

DISCUSSION
Measures of Dispersion is a single value that describes the spread of a
distribution. These are the range, interquartile range, variance and standard
deviation.

Range

The range of a set of data values is the difference between the greatest data
value and the least data value. This is the weakest measure of dispersion.
Key Point
Range = highest value – lowest value

Example 1: The number of incorrect answers on a true-or-false mathematics

Statistics is the study of
proficiency test for a random sample of 10 students was recorded as follows.
data which are often
Compute the range.
relevance to our daily lives.
Data is everywhere for 3, 3, 5, 6, 1, 2, 1, 4, 4, 5
which you can observe and
measure. Solution: Range = 6 – 1 = 5
With the advancement of
technology, data can be Therefore, the range of the students’ incorrect answers is 5.
accessed anywhere and by
anyone. When data is INTERQUARTILE RANGE
correct, valid analysis and
interpretation can be
The interquartile range is the middle 50% of a set of data. It is the difference
generated to produce between the upper and the lower quartiles. When there are extreme values, it is
valuable information. better to use the interquartile range.

Interquartile Range = 𝑸𝟑 (𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆) − 𝑸𝟏 (𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆)

How can we determine the upper and lower quartile?

a. Method 1
3 (𝑛+1) 1 (𝑛+1)
𝑄3 = 𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑄1 = 𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒
4 4

where n – number of scores.

Let us use the data in example 1 by arranging first the data:

1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6
6 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

Solution:
3 (𝑛+1) 1 (𝑛+1)
𝑄3 = 𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑄1 = 𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒
4 4

3 (10+1) 1 (10+1)
𝑄3 = = 8.25𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑄1 = = 2.75𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒
4 4

Since the result is not exact (whole number), we need to do the interpolation.

𝑄3 = 8. 25𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒
= 5 + 0.25(5-5) 8th value in the arrangement of data is 5. Then we multiply the decimal
value, 0.25, to the difference of the 9th and 8th value.
𝑸𝟑 = 5

𝑄1 = 2.75th score
= 1 + 0.75 (2-1) 2nd value in the arranged data is 1. Then we multiply the decimal value,
0.75, to the difference of the 3rd and 2nd value.
𝑸𝟏 = 𝟏. 𝟕𝟓

b. Method 2: The upper quartile ( 𝑸𝟑 ) is 50% of the values after the median and the lower quartile (𝑸𝟏 )
is 50% of the values before the median.
Example:
1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6
The median is 4.
𝑄1 = 2
𝑄3 = 5

Now going back to the computation of Interquartile Range using the data in Example 1, we have.
IR = 𝑄3 − 𝑄1
= 5 - 1.75
IR = 3.25.

VARIANCE

The variance is based on the mean, such that the larger the variance, the greater the variability or the distance
of scores from the mean. The smaller the variance, the less is the variability.

̅ )𝟐
∑(𝑿− 𝑿
𝒔𝟐 =
𝒏−𝟏

where: x – represents the individual values in the distribution

n – sample size
𝑋̅ – mean of the distribution

STANDARD DEVIATION

The standard deviation, 𝜎 fora population or s for a sample, is the square root of the variance. It is used for
interval or ratio level of measurement and is the most reliable of all measures of dispersion. It shows how
spread out each distribution is.
 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 7
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∑(𝑋−𝑋̅ )2
𝑠= √ or 𝑠 = √𝑠2
𝑛−1

Example 2: The following numbers were obtained by sampling a population.

2, 4, 7, 12, 15

Compute the variance and Standard Deviation.

First compute the mean.
2+4+7+12+15 40
𝑋̅ = = =8
5 5

then, calculate the deviation between the number and the mean.

x 𝑥 − 𝑋̅ (𝑥 − 𝑋̅)2
2 2-8 = -6 36
4 4-8 = -4 16
7 7-8 = -1 1
12 12-8 = 4 16
15 15-8 = 7 49
∑(𝑥 − 𝑋̅)2 = 118

̅ )𝟐
∑(𝑿− 𝑿 𝟏𝟏𝟖
𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 (𝒔𝟐 ) = = = 29.5
𝒏−𝟏 𝟓−𝟏
𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 ( √𝒔𝟐 ) = √29.5 = 5.4313, 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝟓. 𝟒𝟑

SCATTER PLOT, CORRELATION AND REGRESSION

Determining the relationship among variables are very important because they can explain certain
phenomena that would eventually contribute to the whole well-being of humanity.

Correlation analysis is a method of measuring the strength of relationship between two variables
(continuous bivariate data), that is, the independent and dependent variables. Examples of bivariate data is
time and academic performance, mass and width, etc.

The correlation coefficient, r, is used to determine if there is a linear relationship between two variables. It
has value from -1 to +1.
• If r = -1 , there is a perfect negative linear relationship between two variables
• If r = +1, there is a perfect positive linear relationship between two variables.
• If r = 0, there is no linear relationship between the two variables

Also, the closer the value of r to either -1 or +1 means that there is either a strong negative or strong positive
linear relationship between the two variables.
8 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

A scatter plot is a visual representation of the linear relationship between two variables. It is a graph which
involves x – and y – axes.

Fig. 1

PEARSON’S MOMENT CORRELATION COEFFICIENT

The Pearson’s moment correlation coefficient or simply Pearson correlation coefficient is used to
determine if there is a linear relationship between two variables.

Formula:
[𝑛(∑ 𝑋𝑌) − ∑ 𝑋 ∑ 𝑌]
𝑟=
√⌈𝑛 (∑ 𝑋 2 ) −(∑ 𝑋)2 ⌉[𝑛 (∑ 𝑌 2 ) − (∑ 𝑌)2 ]

where X – independent variable

Y – dependent variable

Example: Listed below are the final exam results and term grades of second year students taking up
Statistics.
Table 1.
Student Final Exam Result Term Grade (Y)
(X)
1 50 87
2 43 93
3 50 95
4 50 94
5 33 82
6 45 91
7 50 96
8 44 75
9 50 94
10 34 75
11 35 75
12 29 75
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 9
LAGUNA

Constructing a scatter plot helps to see if there is a relationship between the two variables.
Fig. 2

Y Linear (Y)

120
100
Term Grade 80
60
40
20
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Final Exam Result

Based on the scatter plot, it can be presumed that there is a positive relationship between the final exam
results and the students’ term grade. However, to verify this we can calculate the Pearson’s r.

Computation:

XY
X Y
50 87 4350 2500 7569
43 93 3999 1849 8649
50 95 4750 2500 9025
50 94 4700 2500 8836
33 82 2706 1089 6724
45 91 4095 2025 8281
50 96 4800 2500 9216
44 75 3300 1936 5625
50 94 4700 2500 8836
34 75 2550 1156 5625
35 75 2625 1225 5625
29 75 2175 841 5625
513 1032 44750 22621 89636

Using the formula:

[12(44750) − (513) (1032)]
𝑟=
√[12 (22621)− (513)2 ][12 (89636)− (1032)2]

𝑟 = 0.81

Based on the computed value of r and the scatter plot, there is a positive relationship between the
final exam result and the students’ term grade.
10 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

SIMPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS

Simple linear regression analysis is slightly different from linear correlation analysis. The aim of
linear regression analysis is to develop an equation to describe the relationship between variables.
It seeks to develop an equation that will predict future values of the dependent variable from the
values of the independent variable.

The regression line or prediction line is drawn on a scatter plot using the formula:

̂ = 𝒂 + 𝒃𝒙
𝒚
where:
𝑦̂ − 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑦
a- intercept of the regression line
x- value of the independent variable
b- slope of the regression line

The values for a and b are given by:

∑ 𝑌 ∑ 𝑋 2 − ∑ 𝑋 ∑ 𝑋𝑌
a= 𝑛 ∑ 𝑋 2 − (∑ 𝑋)2

𝑛 ∑ 𝑋𝑌− ∑ 𝑋 ∑ 𝑌
b= 𝑛 ∑ 𝑋 2 − (∑ 𝑋 )2

Note: Before linear regression is done, a linear relationship between variables must be
guaranteed.

Example: The data in the table represent the membership at a university mathematics club during
the past 5 years. Predict the membership five years from now, or at year 10.

Table 2 Number of Years Membership (Y)

(X)

1 25
2 30
3 32
4 45
5 50
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 11
LAGUNA

Solution: Number of Membership XY 𝑿𝟐

Years (X) (Y)

1 25 25 1
2 30 60 4
3 32 96 9
4 45 180 16
5 50 250 25

෍ 𝑋 = 15 ෍ 𝑌 = 182 ෍ 𝑋𝑌 ෍ 𝑿𝟐
= 611 = 55

(182)(55)−(15)(611) 5 (611)−(15)(182)
a= =16.9 𝑏= = 6.5
5(55)−(15)2 5(55)−(15)2

therefore;
𝑦̂ = 𝑎 + 𝑏𝑥
̂ = 16.9 + 6.5x - regression line
𝒚

Since we need to predict the membership 5 years from now or at year 10, substitute 10 for x in the
equation;
𝑦̂ = 16.9 + 6.5 (10)
= 81.9 82
So, 5 years from now the club will have 82 members.

Using the scatter plot, we can see the trend line.

 12 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

COMPUTATION USING TECHNOLOGY

Using Example 1 data in Measures of dispersion; 3, 3, 5, 6, 1, 2, 1, 4, 4, 5, we can calculate the
Range, Variance and Standard Deviation using MS EXCEL.

The following screenshots show the statistical formula and computation:

Range = 5

Variance = 2.93
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 13
LAGUNA

Standard Deviation = 1.71

Pearson r = 0.81
14 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

Linear Regression: Using the data in Table 2.

a = 16.9

b = 6.5

̂ = 16.9 + 6.5x, this regression line can be drawn using the scatter plot:
𝒚
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 15
LAGUNA

HISTORICAL NOTES

CRITICAL THINKING

CRITICAL THINKING

What happens to the regression line

if only the slope is negative? If only
the intercept is negative? If both the
slope and intercept are negative?
 16 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY
Direction: Answer the problem below. Show your solution.

Mr. David runs to keep himself physically fit. He wants to know if there is a relationship
between the time elapsed and the kilometers he ran.

Kilometers ran Time (in minutes)

(X) (Y)
1 10 90
2 10 60
3 16 150
4 16 90
5 21 160
6 21 180

a. Calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient and regression line based on the
data below.
b. Draw a scatter plot.
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU 17
LAGUNA

POSTTEST
Direction: Answer the following problems.
I. The nurses of a local hospital pledged the following donations, in pesos, to the
Philippine Red Cross:

500, 1000, 750, 400, 600, 500, 200, 250, 300, 350.

Calculate the mean, median, range and standard deviation.

II. A car was driven 6 times to measure the distance and the amount of fuel used.
The results are as follows:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Distance
(km) 20 25 30 35 28 40
Amount of
Fuel used 2.14 2.75 2.65 3 2.80 2.50
(L)

a. Construct a scatter plot.

b. Is there a linear relationship between the distance and the amount of fuel used?
If so, how would you describe the relationship?
c. Determine the regression line for distance and amount of fuel used.
18 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD • NU LAGUNA

ONLINE RESOURCES

VIDEO:
Measures of Dispersion : [Link]

BOOK SECTION:

REFERENCES

Auffman, R., Lockwood, J., Nation, R., Clegg, D. (2018) Mathematical Excursions (4th ed).
Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning
Auffman, R., Lockwood, J., Nation, R., Clegg, D. (2013) Mathematical Excursions (3rd ed).
Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning