Bungee Jump Barbie

Statistics students have found time to play with dolls this spring. Kate Baker’s stats class is using a novel approach to analyzing the data resulting from two paired variables. Students assembled miniature bungee cords from assorted rubber bands and then tethered Barbie dolls to the end. They calculated the elasticity, or stretch, of each bungee and then figured out the correct number of rubber bands for an exhilarating, though safe, bungee jump for Barbie in an open stairwell in MASC.
 
Using their statistical model, students were able to calculate how many rubber bands would be necessary for Barbie to end up within two meters of the floor after rebounding, without crashing into the floor. The two variables were distance of stretch and the number of bands used to assemble the bungee. In addition to the bungee-cord Barbie experiment, statistics students also employed their model to relate the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables to household income in a neighborhood. The resulting line equation showed that lower household incomes could be correlated to scarcity of fresh produce in those neighborhoods.
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