Project 2A

The objective of this project is to use a spreadsheet program to test correlation strength and to create and utilize mathematical functions which model relationships between pairs of quantities, especially relationships which demonstrate linear or exponential growth/decay.

Important definitions and helpful examples related to this project are provided in the following Modules in the e-text:

Module 8 – independent/dependent variables, positive/negative correlation, correlation coefficient
Module 9 – comparing linear and exponential growth/decay

A spreadsheet file containing the data sets required for this project must be downloaded from your course’s BbLearn Shell.

All required charts/graphs must be created within a spreadsheet program. Handwritten or hand-drawn charts/graphs will not be accepted.

Answers to the following questions must be compiled into a single word-processing document (Microsoft Word, etc.), including necessary explanatory text and supporting charts/graphs. Explanations and discussions of answers must be in complete, grammatically correct sentences. The final document must be neat and organized, with answers to individual problems clearly labeled. The method of submission of the final document (i.e. printed out, submitted electronically, etc.) will be determined by individual instructors.

This project must be submitted at the start of your Class Meeting during Week 9 of this semester.

 
Honduran Immigration to the United States

In 2012, Honduras was declared the homicide capital of the world, having the highest murder rate in a non-war country (per Wikipedia), causing many migrants to flee violence at home. Does the homicide rate in Honduras have an impact on the number of Honduran migrants coming to the United States? Data in the accompanying spreadsheet documents the number of homicides in Honduras and the number of Honduran migrants living in the United States in the years 1990 to 2017.

1. Does it appear the quantities for the homicides and the number of Honduran migrants in the United States are positively related or negatively related? Why do you think the number of homicides and the number of migrants would be related in this way?
2. Scatterplots can be used to test correlation between different sets of data. Create a scatterplot that compares the homicide rate and the number of Honduran migrants in the United States. Then have your spreadsheet program create a linear regression trendline for the data, displaying the equation and the coefficient of determination (R2) on the graph.
   (You can create a scatterpolot in Microsoft Excel by highlighting all of the data, clicking the “Insert” tab, and selecting “Scatter”. You can display a regression line by right-clicking on a data point in your scatterplot, selecting “Add Trendline…”, and selecting “Display Equation on chart” and “Display R-squared value on chart”.)
   **Include a copy of this scatterplot in your report.
3. Find the correlation coefficient R for your linear regression trendline. Does that value indicate a strong correlation or a weak correlation?
   Note: You must calculate and discuss R, but the spreadsheet program displays R2.
4. Based on the linear regression trendline you just generated, how many migrants could the United States expect to have if the number of Honduran homicides rose to 8000? Use an equation editor to show calculations to support your answer.
5. Based on the linear regression trendline you just generated, what does the Honduran homicide rate need to be in order to reduce the number of Honduran migrants in the United States to 300,000 Hondurans? Use an equation editor to show calculations to support your answer.