How to Compare Your Results and Check Them Against a Visual Estimate

Compare the values from Questions 2 and 3, state whether they agree, and explain whether that result matches the pattern or estimate shown in your Question 1 picture.

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The exact conclusion depends on the numbers you found in Questions 2 and 3, which are not included here. To answer, compare those two values:

  1. State both results and identify which is larger, or whether they are equal or close.
  2. Explain what the comparison means. If the numbers are close, the two methods give similar results. If they differ considerably, describe the size and direction of the difference.
  3. Compare with your picture from Question 1. Say whether the picture suggested a result that is consistent with the numbers, and explain why.

You could write: “Question 2 gave ___, while Question 3 gave ___. These values are ___ because ___. This does/does not agree with my picture in Question 1, which suggested ___.”

A picture may provide only a rough visual estimate, so a small difference from a calculated value does not necessarily mean the picture is wrong.

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