SpecialProblem4D
How to Weigha Gator!
Many wildlife populationsaremonitoredby taking aerialphotographs.Informationaboutthe number
of animalsandtheir whereaboutsis importantto protectingcertainspeciesandto ensuringthe safetyof
surrourdinghumanpopulations. In addition,it is sometimespossibleto monitor certaincharacteristics
of the animals.The lengthof an alligator canbe estimatedquite accuratelyfrom aerialphotographsor
from a boat.However,the alligator'sweightis muchmoredifficult to determine.('YOU weighhim.'o
'No, YOU weighhim!")
In the examplebelow, dataon the length(in inches)andweight (in pounds)of alligatorscapturedin
centralFloridaaregiven. Your task is to developa modelfrom which the weight of an alligatorcanbe
predictedfrom its length. [Source:http://exploringdata.cqu.edu.au/datasets.htm]
Length (in)
58
51
53
58
69
72
72
74
74
76
78
82
85
86
85
86
88
89
90
90
94
94
114
L28
L47
W ei ght (Ibs)
28
44
33
39
35
38
51
54
5t
42
5'1
80
84
83
80
90
70
84
105
L02
110
130
L97
355
640
The Report Describeyour investigationin a report. Tell the story,from the introductionto the
analysisto the conclusions,with all of the necessarysupportingcalculatorscreenshotsor computer
plots andnumericalsummaries.In particular,write your reportsothat the readercanfollow your
reasoningasyou proceedthroughyour investigation.Follow the conventionsasdescribedin the
generalguidelinesfor writing up SpecialProblems.You will be gradedon both the accr.racyof your
work andthe qualrtyof your written communication.Seeyour teacherif you havequestions.
Deadline. This SpecialProblemwill be dueno laterthan
Chapter4
SpecialProblem4D