ACADEMIC TALK
Watch the lecture by Dr Tom Crawford below and don’t forget to take a look at the extra resources and have a go at the activity at the end.
Maths and the Marathon
Dr Tom Crawford
What is an adjustment period?
Why is there a gap in the 1940s?
Why does the graph go flat during the 1970s?
What is a line of best fit?
Why do we minimise the total distance from the line squared?
What is the problem with a linear line of best fit? (y = mx + c)
What is the problem with a quadratic line of best fit? (y = ax2 + bx +c)
How is it better than a linear line?
What is the problem with a cubic line of best fit? (y = ax3 + bx2 + cx + d)
How is it better than a quadratic line?
How does the exponential line of best fit help us? (y = ex )
Use Desmos to play about with making graphs and formulas which make the best lines of best fit!
Desmos | Graphing Calculator
Try and make a graph which best fits this data!
This data shows the fastest lap times in every single Formula 1 race at the Italian Grand Prix, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza since the first race in 1950.
What are some of the trends?
Are there any historical facts to explain the outliers?
Is it a negative or positive correlation?
Do you think you can predict what times might look like in the next Grand Prix?
