Project 8.1

Historical Question Write an essay on John Napier. Include what he is famous for today, and what he considered to be his crowning achievement. Also Include a discussion of "Napier's bones."

Reference:

http://www.maxmon.com/1600ad.htm

Project 8.2

Write an essay on earthquakes. In particular, discuss the Richter scale for measuring earthquakes. What is its relationship to logarithms?

Project 8.3

Use the following table, which shows populations for eight cities to answer the questions. More data are provided than are required to answer these questions, so you will need to make some assumptions to arrive at your prediction. State the assumptions you are making clearly.


a. Which city seems to have the greatest growth rate for the period 1980-1990? Name the city and predict its population in the year 2000.
b. Which city seems to have had the greatest decline in population for the period 1980-1990? Name the city and predict its population in the year 2000.
c. If the population of Denver, Colorado, had continued to grow at its 1960-1980 rate, what would its 1990 population have been? What statement can you make about the rate of population growth in Denver in the 1980s? In the 1970s?

Project 8.4

From your local chamber of commerce, obtain the population figures for your city for the years 1980, 1990, and 2000. Find the rate of growth for each period. Forecast the population of your city for the year 2010. Include charts and graphs. List some factors, such as new zoning laws, that could change the growth rate of your city.

Project 8.5

Write an essay on carbon-14 dating. What is its relationship to logarithms?