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Projects - Cengage Learning

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C-4 Appendix C<br />

MINI PROJECT<br />

Drawing Conclusions from Visual Evidence<br />

This discussion concerns x-intercepts and requires that at least one person in<br />

the group have a graphing utility. How much graphical evidence do you feel<br />

is necessary before you are “reasonably certain” about the exact value of an<br />

x-intercept? Or would graphical evidence alone never leave you reasonably<br />

certain? To focus the discussion, begin by considering the two views of the<br />

graph of the equation y x 3 550x 11 in Figures A and B.<br />

10<br />

0<br />

_10<br />

_20<br />

_30<br />

_40<br />

_0.10 _0.08 _0.06 _0.04 _0.02 0.00<br />

Figure A<br />

Close-up view of y x 3 550x 11 near<br />

an x-intercept. The intercept is either<br />

0.02 or something very close to that.<br />

5<br />

0<br />

_5<br />

_10<br />

_15<br />

_20<br />

_0.05 _0.04 _0.03 _0.02 _0.01 0.00<br />

Figure B<br />

Still closer view of the x-intercept in<br />

Figure A (zooming in by a factor of 2).<br />

Would you say now that it is quite likely<br />

that the intercept is exactly 0.02?

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