Military Deaths in US by war

If we give students the diameter of one circle, they can predict the diameter of another circle (likewise with circumference, radius, area, etc):

source: http://imgur.com/mxdjRlk

Zombie Films

Bar graph on Zombie movies over time:

source: http://imgur.com/a/xkPrW

Military Expenditure

Great pie chart for comparing military expenditure rates by country:

source: https://i.imgur.com/zqUbcvp.png

An Eye for An Eye

Great graphic comparing death penalty executions versus murder rates:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/outlook/death-penalty/

Income Inequality through Data

Great pdf source:
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1327948020811/8401693-1397074077765/Prosperity_for_All_Final_2014.pdf

Player Sizes Scatter Plots

Great sports visualization using scatter plots:

Source (you can zoom in): http://sportchart.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/professional-athlete-size-comparison/

Execution Chart Comparisons

Start with this graph, which shows executions per million people:

Then contrast it to this graph, which shows the total number of executions:

You could also start with the first chart, and ask, "which country has the highest number of executions?" And then follow with "what would we need to know in order to figure this out?" Students could then use population counts from each country to sort out the data for themselves. 

Although the data is about death and a potentially difficult subject, students will be using mathematics to make sense of a complex issue which they might feel very strongly about. 

source: http://imgur.com/a/SYIwN

Cell Phone Percentages by Carrier

I think this is a great image for discussion around pie charts:

source: http://www.counterpointresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Q1-2014-USA-Carrier-Market-Share.png

Violent Crimes

I would like to contrast total violent crimes versus violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. The following table would be key in that discussion:

source: http://graphzoo.tumblr.com/image/84646626862

Quandl = Free Data Source (yay!)

Free data that you can easily import into spreadsheets? Not a problem with Quandl!

Their promo video says it all:


I will be using this throughout the year: http://www.quandl.com/

Central Tendency and Pay Scale

This simple graph is built around median incomes and sets the stage for the discussion around central tendency:

Buying Basketball Courts

How many could buy for 1 million?

What does a court cost?

What could you buy for a billion? a trillion?

How many times more expensive is the price of a court in one state over an another?

This infographic creates a great platform for discussion around large numbers, rate, ratio, scale and so much more:

Source: http://i.imgur.com/w0WK72P.png

States and Passports

Not only does this site have an interactive map to look at the level of passport holders in each state, but if has this great graph which lends itself nicely to a line of best fit.

I can display this graph and ask, "how many passports will be given out in 2014?" Or I can blur out a point or two and see how close they can get to the actual numbers. So I could blur out 2013 and see how the actual numbers compare to their predictions.

The Baby Name Predictor

You can display trends and predictions in name popularity for up to six names at a time:

Get started by looking at the one thing that everyone wants to see, how their names have done and might do in the future. This would be a great low inference entry into trends. Then try some of the names and trends suggested in the article and bring up correlation and causation. For example, they mention that popularity in the name Adele correlates to her popularity as a singer. Ask the class if they accept the implication that this also a causal relationship. Then have fun debating the merits of why this may or may not be the case. 

source: http://time.com/93911/baby-name-predictor/

Pedestrian and Bicycle Injuries

Another great graph for class on correlation and causation. Show the graph and maybe read the article. Ask students about the reasons why certain areas are dangerous and the compare their answers to the causes listed in the article: http://nyti.ms/1kxRqkx

2Pac - Dear Mama Stats

Post this for your class and ask them, "why the spikes?"

The answer: Mothers Day

Then ask, "is this causal? correlated? both?"

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The data on this map will certainly connect to many standards on statistics in the common core curriculum, but I especially like how the context sets the stage for a classroom discussion on Global Warming.

Perhaps students could turn this data into a bar graph and discuss measures of dispersion and then compare those values to the same map per capita (which will also deepen the mathematical discussion):

source: http://www.mylife.com/blog/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-state/

Cellular Subscribers (per 100 population)

As I mine through the data is beautiful sub reddit, I found this beautiful bar graph:

http://i.imgur.com/o7pHflX.png

It will be great for discussion about the context of the graph and can also be used to discuss the algorithm for calculating their statistics (which is included on the bottom of the graph)

Great Visualization of Citibike Data

Not only does this site capture a tremendous amount of data into a beautiful visual, but it also uses scientific notation. This will find its way into my curriculum next year: