Which Team Won?

This resource can be used as an introductory exercise into mathematical modelling. The problem is to decide on the winning team in a race. Students need to examine the data and decide on a model to determine the winner.

Overview
This brief overview points out that only basic mathematics is required to access this task. It suggests that a fair decision making process is not always possible and gives possible applications for this type of analysis e.g. sporting competitions and The Eurovision Song Contest.

Teacher Guidance
This guidance puts this task in context. It points out that the task may be suitable for group work. It gives possible ways of deciding a solution and suggests extension research, e.g. proportional representation.

Student Activity Sheet
This data sheet relates to three teams of ten runners completing a race. It shows the ranking of how the team members finished the race. Students are asked to investigate methods of deciding which the winning team was and to evaluate their methods.