Hand It to My Parents!

Traits

A trait sets one person or thing apart from another. A trait is an inherited characteristic.

We have two hands. This is a trait of our species. A species is a set of organisms with common characteristics. Cats have four legs, mice have tails, lions have sharp teeth and claws, and flowers have petals. These traits identify members of a species as being the same.

Within a species however there can be variations, or slight differences. These parakeets have the same beaks, wings, and feet, but they are different colors.

In nature some variations give individuals an advantage. They survive better in their environment or physical surroundings.

Try it!
Measure and record the hand span from thumb to pinky in centimeters of ten of your friends. Use a separate sheet of paper. Are the numbers exactly the same? Probably not. This is a variation, or slight difference, among classmates.
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Do the math and learn more!
Put your ten measurements in order from the smallest to the largest.

Subtract the largest hand span from the smallest. This is the range of your distribution.

Add all your numbers and divide by 10 (the number of measurements.) This is the mean or average hand span of your study!

Now use your data to create a graph! What kind is most appropriate for your data? Drag here to check your hunch.

Be sure to give your graph a title and label both axes.