This activity from the Nuffield Foundation introduces the use of moving averages and weighted moving averages to smooth out seasonal fluctuations in UK house prices, enabling the yearly trend to be identified. The data provided is adapted from The Halifax House Price Index spreadsheet and although the arithmetic...

There are two versions of this house prices activity. Both involve large data sets of house prices showing how they have changed in different locations over long and short periods of time. In Version A, students draw and interpret statistical diagrams and calculate statistical measures by hand. In Version B,...

The coordinates of two points on a line are given. The task is to find the shortest distance from the line of a third given point. The task involves finding the equation of...

In this activity, seeds are grown in Petri dishes so children can make direct observations of the roots as they grow. The activity requires measurements over a number of days, so provides an opportunity to link to numeracy by working out growth rate and representing...

A section of a regular polygon is shown with diagonals drawn from a hidden vertex. The angle between two diagonals their corresponding sides are given. The challenge is to work out how many...

This resource uses height data from the pilot of CensusAtSchool to encourage Key Stage Three and Key Stage Four students to investigate growth. They are asked to draw conclusions using both calculations and graphs and also consider other factors affecting growth. Students develop skills in interpreting tables,...

Using the data from CensusAtSchool 2006/2007, this data analysis resource looks at trends in life expectancy in populations. Students consider both the primary data collected from CensusAtSchool and secondary data about life expectancy and major causes of death. A plenary asks students to consider what they have...

In this activity, students explore the miss-match between real and perceived risk by exploring the risks of dying unexpectedly from various causes. Starting from known fears and comparing them with real-life data, students can recognise that these fears are often unfounded. Students have the opportunity to learn...

In this resource, aimed at primary level, children take measurements of their height using leaves. Using different sized leaves to measure different children, and then comparing their actual height with that measured in leaves, will help them to see the importance of using standard measurements.

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Human beings are pretty smart. We have transformed the world and thought up some wondrous inventions. But what will the future hold for planet Earth and the people who inhabit it? Can we use new technology and innovations to improve the quality of our lives as well as the world we live in?

The human body is an amazing piece of engineering. For thousands of years it has kept us running, thinking and, best of all, staying alive! But are there scientific innovations that we can use to make our bodies even better?