Ant Exploration
To solve this problem you will use intermediate math skills
involving graphing and averages.
Description: Observe ants and compare their speeds.
Location at Zoo: World of the Insects
Materials: pencil, stopwatch, basic calculator
Activity: It’s a fact that ants are very industrious. But are they fast? Choose three different individual ants at
both the leaf-cutter ant and a different ant exhibit. Complete the following steps for both types of ants to
collect data.
1) Select an area of each exhibit that you can easily observe. For example, a tube at the leaf-cutter ants.
2) Write down the time of day that you are making your observations in column A.
3) Measure the length of the area you want to observe and record it in column B.
4) Select an ant to follow and measure the length of time it takes to cover the distance. Record in column C.
5) Record the direction (right or left) in which the ant is moving in column D.
6) Record the activity of the ant in column E. Is it carrying an object or not?
Leaf Cutter
Ants
1
(A)
Time of Day
(am/pm)
(B)
Distance to
Travel (in)
(C)
Time to Cover
Distance (sec)
(D)
Direction
(R/L)
(E)
Carrying
Leaf? (Y/N)
2
3
4
5
Ant Exploration
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Self-Guided Activity
__________
ants
1
(A)
Time of Day
(am/pm)
(B)
Distance to
Travel (in)
(C)
Time to Cover
Distance (sec)
(D)
Direction
(R/L)
(E)
Carrying
Leaf? (Y/N)
2
3
4
5
Back at School:
Combine the data you and your fellow students collected at the Zoo and determine:
1. What is the average rate of speed for each species?
Leaf Cutter Ant Answer:______________
units
_________Ant Answer:______________
units
2. Describe the speed of the ants using mean, median and mode.
3. What guesses can you make about the speed of each species (and individual), based on the direction and
the activity of the ants?
Ant Exploration
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Self-Guided Activity
4. Create two scatter plot graphs using all the data from the class, one for each of the two ant species. Draw
a line of best fit. Find the slope equation for the line.
Ant Type: _________________________
Slope: ___________________________
Ant Type: _________________________
Slope: ____________________________
1. How do your average rates for each species compare to the slope found from the class data for each
species? Are they similar?
2. In comparison to the class average rate found through the line of best fit, calculate relative and
absolute error. Explain their differences in measurement.
Academic Standards – MATH OH: (7.SP.1,2,3,4) (8.(EE.5,6) (8.SP.1,2,3) (HS.S-ID.1,2,7,9) (HS.S-IC.4,5,6) KY: D:MA- (07-4.1.4) (08-4.1.4) (HS-4.1.1) (HS-4.1.2) (074.2.1) (08-4.2.1) (HS-4.2.1) IN: (7.3.10)(8.6.5)(PS.1.2)
Ant Exploration
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Self-Guided Activity