Probability and statistics in engineering
A collection of resources to provide ideas for setting 'A' level probability and statistics in the context of engineering, together with materials to support teaching of these topics.
'Resistor Production' asks how can production outcome data about resistors from a manufacturing process be analysed to optimise the process? The mathematics covered in this activity includes: displaying data using a bar chart, calculate probability, estimate probability as a relative frequency.
There are two supporting resources. 'Presenting Data Graphically' involves choosing the most relevant way of presenting data. The 'Rabbits' resource introduces the idea that a simulation is a model of a real situation.
Resistor Production
This asks the question: how can production outcome data from a manufacturing process be analysed to optimise the process?
Students consider the outputs of resistors to see the outcomes form a normal distribution. Students have to decide whether a machine producing the resistors needs calibrating. The mathematics covered in this activity includes: displaying data using a bar chart, calculate probability, estimate probability as a relative frequency.
Presenting Data Graphically
The first and second tasks from this resource would provide a suitable introduction to the 'Resistor Production' activity. In the first task students record how long they watch TV, group the results and draw two separate graphs to compare boys and girls. The second task requires students to consider what type of diagram is suitable to represent what kind of data.
Rabbits
This activity complements the 'Resistor Production' resource. Students learn that a simulation is a model of a real situation through data for the birth rate of rabbits. Students develop their own model to simulate the breeding of rabbits in a field and consider the likely damage to the farmer's crop.
