Inauguration Estimation
Summary:
When we first saw this problem, we decided to try and find the area of the entire area, from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial. We were already given the distance from the two points, which was 1.2 miles, but to find the area of the space, we needed to figure out the scale of the image. We had gotten 603 feet for every inch, and with this information, we found the length of the other side, which was 1507.5 feet. With that, we multiplied the sides by 603 to convert it to feet, and then multiply the sides together to find the area of the space in feet. We then multiply the answer by twelve to change feet into inches. Next, the product is divided by forty to represent the average americans circumference in inches. The quotient of this is a rough estimate of the amount of people in the area. I created a formula to figure out the average amount of people in an area, which was
12[(Lx603)(Wx603)]/40=average amount of people. After this process, our group estimated there to be around 800,000 people that we could see in the picture. Our answer was incorrect, as it was 1,600,000 people, but it is understandable because there could have been many small groups which we did not account for. The only thing that I regret is that I wasn't able to find out how the people that came up with the answer 1,600,000 got their answer. How they figured out the amount of people, how they were able to understand the image that was shown before them, and how I could have done the equation better so that I was closer to the answer.
When we first saw this problem, we decided to try and find the area of the entire area, from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial. We were already given the distance from the two points, which was 1.2 miles, but to find the area of the space, we needed to figure out the scale of the image. We had gotten 603 feet for every inch, and with this information, we found the length of the other side, which was 1507.5 feet. With that, we multiplied the sides by 603 to convert it to feet, and then multiply the sides together to find the area of the space in feet. We then multiply the answer by twelve to change feet into inches. Next, the product is divided by forty to represent the average americans circumference in inches. The quotient of this is a rough estimate of the amount of people in the area. I created a formula to figure out the average amount of people in an area, which was
12[(Lx603)(Wx603)]/40=average amount of people. After this process, our group estimated there to be around 800,000 people that we could see in the picture. Our answer was incorrect, as it was 1,600,000 people, but it is understandable because there could have been many small groups which we did not account for. The only thing that I regret is that I wasn't able to find out how the people that came up with the answer 1,600,000 got their answer. How they figured out the amount of people, how they were able to understand the image that was shown before them, and how I could have done the equation better so that I was closer to the answer.
Reflection:
When doing this problem I was Confident, Patient, and Persistent, and a generalizer in this problem.
When doing this problem I was Confident, Patient, and Persistent, and a generalizer in this problem.