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LSP 120 Quantitative ReasoningAbsolute vs. RelativeSlide 3Slide 4Slide 5RatesExample of a RateAnswerConfusionMore DataLSP 120QUANTITATIVE REASONINGAbsolute vs. RelativeQuantitiesABSOLUTE VS. RELATIVEAbsolute quantities are simply counts or totals of some type of dataExamples:Number of highway deaths per year per stateNumber of students in this class that earn an ANumber of adults with HIV per countryABSOLUTE VS. RELATIVEWhile absolute quantities can provide some information, it is often incomplete or simply misleadingWith relative quantities, the data is always “compared” to something.ABSOLUTE VS. RELATIVEExamples:Number of highway deaths per year per state relative to the number of drivers per stateThe percentage of students in this class that earn an AThe number of adults with HIV per country relative to the country’s populationABSOLUTE VS. RELATIVEPercentage and rate identify relative quantitiesAverage, mean, median… don’t automatically identify relative quantities unless they are averages/means/medians of relative valuesRATESWhat is a rate?When you compare some value to a fixed number of another valueFor example, highway deaths per 100 travelersInfant mortality rates – deaths per 1000 babies bornFor example0.0037 deaths per birth hard to comprehend0.037 deaths per 10 births better0.37 deaths per 100 births better still3.7 deaths per 1000 births even betterEXAMPLE OF A RATEThe average number of people killed each year in hot-air balloon accidents is 2.6The average number killed in hunting accidents is 600Which is more dangerous?ANSWERThere are two million hunters in the U.S. and just 3,000 hot-air balloonistsBalooning: 2.6/3000 = 0.000867Hunting: 600/2,000,000 = 0.0003Ballooning is approximately 3 times as more dangerous as that of hunting!CONFUSIONWhich is safer – flying or driving?Compare number of deaths killed each year in airplanes versus number killed on the highway?Or is it more accurate to compare number killed in each per mile traveled?Or is it more accurate to compare number killed in each per trip?MORE DATALet’s take a look at another example:HIV_Adults_By_Country_2001.xls(start by going to http://qrc.depaul.edu)We’ll do some sorting, change the absolute values to relative, resort, then create a map using the QRC mapping


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DePaul LSP 120 - Lecture Notes

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