Whose the Greatest?
Teammates
by Peter Golenbock and Paul Bacon,
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1990
ISBN 0-15-200603-6
How can we make finding the mean more meaningful? A mixture of sports data, cultural awareness, and children’s literature is a dynamic combination. Teammates, by Peter Golenbock and Paul Bacon, tells about the reception of the first African American, Jackie Robinson, to join a major league baseball team. The book focuses on how his friendship with Pee Wee Reese helped break through cultural barriers.
Using Robinson’s homerun data we can calculate the mean, median, mode and range. Then, we can list the measures of central tendencies and the range from least to greatest. The same calculations are made with Pee Wee Reese’s statistics. (See student handout and it key.)
To extend the analysis, and add some fun problem solving, have students try some of the problems presented in Irving Lubliner’s article “Mean, Median, Mode and Range Challenges” (published in the December 2008 edition of TOMT). Lubliner’s challenge is to create data sets where for example the mode<mean<range<median, mean<mode<range<median or range<mode<median<mean. (There are, of course 4! Permutations of these for measures.) My department used these puzzles for a common lesson. Each teacher used it in at least one class and we met after the lesson to discuss strategies and compare results. Course levels varied from Algebra 1A (Algebra spread over 2 years) to an advanced Sophomore level math class. All student groups found it a challenge and were surprised at how many of their problem solving skills were needed to find the data sets.
Whose the Greatest? Name: ________________
Teammates, by Peter Golenbock and Paul Bacon, tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to join a major league baseball team, and “Pee Wee” Reese a teammate who offers him the gift of friendship.
Source for statistics
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=121314
Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson
Home run data: 1947-1956 12 12 16 14 19 19 12 15 8 10 (statistics listed in order chronologically)
1) Find the mean, median, mode and range for the data above.
2) Write the measures of central tendency and range in order from least to greatest.
3) Which measure of central tendency would Robinson prefer if he wanted to make his home run data looks the best possible.
Source for statistics
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=121010
Harold “Pee Wee” Reese
Home run data: 1940- 1942 1946-1958 (statistics listed in order chronologically)
5 2 3 5 12 9 16 11 10 6 13 10 10 9 1 4
1) Find the mean, median, mode and range for the data above.
2) Write the measures of central tendency and range in order from least to greatest.
3) Which measure of central tendency would Robinson prefer if he wanted to make his home run data looks the best possible?
Key: Jackie Robinson -- mean 13.7, median 13, mode 12, range 11
range<mode<median<mean
Key: Pee Wee Reese – mean 7.8, median 9, mode10, range 15
Mean<median<mode<range