Unit 2 WebQuest - Internet Project

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Unit 2 WebQuest - Internet Project
Population Explosion
Introduction | Task | Process | Guidance | Conclusion | Questions
Introduction
The world population reached 6 billion in 1999. In addition, the world population has doubled in about 40 years
and gained 1 billion people in just 12 years. Assuming middle-range fertility and mortality trends, world
population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, with most of the increase in countries that are less
economically developed. Did you know that the population of the United States has increased by more than a
factor of 10 since 1850? The table below shows how the population of the U.S. has changed over the years.
Population of the United States (1850 – 2000)

Year Population Year Population
1850 23,191,876 1930 123,202,624
1860 31,443,321 1940 132,164,569
1870 38,558,371 1950 151,325,798
1880 50,189,209 1960 179,323,175
1890 62,979,766 1970 203,302,031
1900 76,212,168 1980 226,542,203
1910 92,228,496 1990 248,709,873
1920 106,021,537 2000 281,421,906
Source: World Almanac
In this project, you will use quadratic and polynomial mathematical models that will help you to project future
populations.
The Task
Your social studies teacher and your mathematics teacher are collaborating on a project for your class. Each
student will prepare a Web page showing an application of mathematics to social studies. These will be posted
on your school's Web site. You have decided to focus on presenting population data and making predictions
about population. You have met with your teachers about your project proposal and they want you to present
data on world population and population for two other areas, which could be countries, states, or cities. They
also want you to be sure that your Web page contains the following information:
population data for the entire world for at least the past 200 years;
population data for two other areas, which could be countries, states, or cities for a period of at least 50
years;
graphs and/or tables displaying the population data. The areas that you choose can show either growth or
loss of population;
at least one mathematical model for the population of the world and your two chosen areas. You may
propose more than one population model, if you prefer;
a prediction of the population of the world and the two areas for the year 2050.
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You will get some ideas for population models in the exercises in Unit 2 of your textbook.
The Process
To successfully complete this project, you will need to complete the following items.
Find data on the population of the world for at least the past 200 years. For help, try these Web sites.
www.statistics.com
www.census.gov
www.infoplease.com and search for population data of your choice
www.gazetteer.de/home.htm
www.yahoo.com and search for population data of your choice
www.citypopulation.de/cities.html
Select the other two areas you wish to include in your project. Find population data for these two areas
for at least the past 50 years. For help, try the Web sites listed above.
Display each population data set in an appropriate table and/or graph.
Refer to Unit 2 in your textbook for ideas about mathematical models for your population data.
Be creative. Add some additional data, information, or even pictures to your Web page. Try these Web
sites for additional information.
www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census
Search for the Web site of the country, state, or city for additional information to add to your Web page.
Guidance
Here are some additional questions and ideas you may want to consider for your project.
1. How has the median age of the population changed over the last 100 years? What problems could this
present in the future?
2. What factors affect population growth?
3. What is the history of the census in the U.S.? How do other countries measure their population?
4. What areas of the world are experiencing a high population growth rate? In what areas, if any, is
population decreasing?
5. Compare the population models that you chose for the world and the other two areas. How are the
models similar? How are the models different?
6. What factors can affect the accuracy of population estimates made using mathematical models?
7. How has the population density of your chosen areas changed over the last 50 years?
Conclusion
Here are some ideas for concluding your project.
Present your project to your class or at a family night.

Write a one–page summary of your project, including what you have learned from researching this topic.
Questions
Lesson 5–1
For your project, you find this table of population for the world from 1650 through 2000.
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Year Population
1650 550,000,000
1750 725,000,000
1850 1,175,000,000
1900 1,600,000,000
1950 2,556,000,000
1980 4,458,000,000
2000 6,080,000,000
Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts
1. Write each population in scientific notation.

2. Will using the values in scientific notation make it easier to graph the data? If not, suggest another way to
write the values.
3. Rewrite each year as Years Since 1650. For example 1650 will be 0, 1750 will be 100, and so on. How
will this make the data easier to graph?
4. Make a scatter plot of the data using the ordered pairs (years since 1650, population). Describe the shape
of the scatter plot.
5. Find a linear equation to model the data. How well does this model fit the population data? Explain.
Lesson 6–4
Refer to the table in Lesson 5–1. Use a graphing calculator or graphing software to model the population data.
1. Find a quadratic equation whose graph best fits the data.

2. Graph the equation and the data on the same screen. Do you think the graph of the equation fits the data?
Justify your answer.
3. Predict the world population for 2050 using the quadratic model. Do you think your prediction is a good
estimate for the population in 2050? Why or why not?
Lesson 7–4
Refer to table in Lesson 5–1. Use a graphing calculator or graphing software to model the population data.
1. Find a cubic polynomial function to model the population data.

2. Graph the equation and the data on the same screen. Do you think the equation models the data fairly
well? Explain.
3. Compare the linear (Lesson 5–1), quadratic (Lesson 6–6), and cubic models for the data. Which one do
you think best models the data? Explain your reasoning.
4. Use the equation you think best models the data to predict the world population in 2050.

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5/22/2014 www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/mathematics/nat_alg2/ccp/nat_alg2_unit2_student.

Unit 2 WebQuest - Internet Project

Introduction | Task | Process | Guidance | Conclusion | Questions

Population of the United States (1850 – 2000)

Present your project to your class or at a family night.

1. Write each population in scientific notation.

1. Find a quadratic equation whose graph best fits the data.

1. Find a cubic polynomial function to model the population data.

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