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Units and Precision Station

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Units and Precision Station

For each situation, identify whether the variable is discrete or continuous. Give its unit or counting measure and explain the recording precision. Remember: counted quantities are discrete; measured quantities are continuous, even when rounded to a whole number.

Station prompts

For every prompt, state the variable type, unit or counting measure, precision, and why the variable is counted or measured.

1.At a marae visit, Zoe measures the width of a woven kete and records it to the nearest 0.5 cm. Classify the width, give its unit and recording precision, and explain your choice.

2.Hugo weighs a tray of kūmara on a scale that displays mass to the nearest 10 g. State the variable type, unit, precision and reason.

3.Ruben uses a stopwatch to record the time taken to carry a box of supplies, rounding to the nearest 0.1 second. Identify the type, unit, precision and why.

4.A thermometer records the temperature in the wharekai to the nearest degree Celsius. Give the variable type, unit, precision and reason.

5.A jug is used to measure water for a shared meal. Its scale is marked in 5 mL intervals. Classify the volume and state the unit and recording precision.

6.A stall sells a cup of fruit for $3.45. If the recorded price is to the nearest cent, is the price variable discrete or continuous in this context? Give the unit and precision, and explain.

7.A helper counts the visitors who arrive for the welcome. The total is recorded exactly. State the variable type, counting measure and precision, and explain.

8.A delivery van travels 8 km between the car park and the marae, and its trip distance is rounded to the nearest kilometre. Classify distance and state its unit and precision.

9.A group records the exact number of kete carried into the meeting house. Give the variable type, counting measure and precision, with a reason.

10.A caretaker measures the length of a covered walkway as 12.3 m and records it to the nearest 0.1 m. State the type, unit, precision and reason.

Think carefully

Explain how the variable and the way it is recorded are related, but not the same thing.

11.A relay time is recorded in whole minutes only. Is time still a continuous variable? Explain whether the variable itself or its recording precision has changed.

12.At the entrance, one volunteer counts people waiting while another measures the queue's length to the nearest 0.1 m. Which variable is discrete and which is continuous? Explain how each value is collected.

Exit question

Use the ideas from the station prompts in a new situation.

13.At a community sports afternoon, Zoe records the exact number of laps Hugo completes and measures his running distance to the nearest 0.01 km. Classify both variables, state the distance unit and precision, and explain one difference between measuring and recording.

14.The covered walkway is 12.3 m long when recorded to the nearest 0.1 m. Describe how its recorded value could change if it were recorded to a finer precision, such as the nearest 0.01 m.