Using data from Wolfram Alpha or some other source, replot the NASA graph here http://ripetungi.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-nasas-budget/ either: 1. Controlling for inflation, 2. Tracking expenditure as a percentage of GDP, or 3. Tracking expenditure as a percentage of government spending. Defend your choice, and note any differences in the shape of the graph that result.
Politicians and media use the terms “bipartisan” and “landslide” all the time. But what do they mean? In this activity you will try to come up with a working, operationalized definition of these terms. 1. Research the use and definitions of these terms. Look at multiple sources. 2. For “bipartisan” find a use that shows [...]
Via dailyinfographic.com Questions: 1. How many employees do you have to have under to be called a “small business”? 2. What qualifies as a small business? If I sell things ocassionally on Amazon.com or Etsy, is that a small business? If am the CEO of Walmart, but create a small one person company to invest [...]
Look at the infographic here: Carbon FootPrint [LARGE VERSION] Questions: 0. Junk Charts Trifecta: What issue is the chart addressing? What does the chart say? What does the data say? (Are they in alignment?) 1. Who is the biggest polluter in raw terms? 2. Who is the biggest polluter per capita? 3. In understanding which [...]
Did overbuilding houses lead to the recession? Matthew Yglesias shows this graph to demonstrate that overbuilding wasn’t the problem: He explains: On the general subject of recession myths, here’s another statistical look at the myth that the speculative boom in land prices led to some kind of crazy amount of overinvestment in houses. What we [...]
Read the following poll results, then answer the questions. This is a poll that asks people how likely they are to vote in the 2012 election. 1. What is the cut-point for “Intends to vote”. How does it effect the results? How might changing the cut point change the results? 2a. This compares intent to [...]