Fathom Dynamic Statistics

Description: Fathom Dynamic Statistics software was designed to change the way students learn data analysis, statistics, and mathematics. Its unique computer learning environment gives students the power to gather, explore, and analyze data, and to understand statistics as never before. Dynamic dragging makes analysis easy and abstract concepts meaningful.

Additionally, with Fathom, algebra drives a variety of animations, plots, simulations, and student-constructed statistical measures, making mathematics exciting and relevant.

Fathom includes:

More than 300 data sets (including U.S. Census microdata, sports data, the planets, temperatures from a weather balloon ascent, heights of tall buildings, airliners, car tires, nails, the Consumer Price Index, train timetables, and more)

Over 100 functions (including arithmetic, trig, statistical, conditional, random numbers, distribution densities and cumulative densities, and text)

Dozens of graph types (including scatter plots, box plots, histograms, percentile plots, bar charts, and ribbon charts)
· A formula editor with true mathematical formatting
· Sliders
· Simulations
· Plot functions superimposed on data
· Summary tables allowing students to decide what statistics they want
· Parameter estimates and hypothesis tests that support statistical inference

Developer:
Key Curriculum Press

Publisher:
Key Curriculum Press

Grade Levels: 7+

Cost: $399.95 (10-User Lab Pack)

Effectiveness: Reviewed favorably by University of California, Berkeley for NCREL and Metiri Group (2000).

Though created by experienced designers, Fathom is relatively new. An online review in the Chance News. This review was favorable regarding design, but it had little to say about Fathom's effects on student learning.

While Fathom is reviewed favorably, it is new, so effectiveness has yet to be documented by research.

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