INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE EXAMPLE: Week One Assignment Solving Proportions To estimate the size of the bluegill population in Spearhead

Lake conservationists captured, tagged and released 300 bluegill from the lake. A month later they came back and captured 120 bluegill from the lake and found 45 of them were tagged. What is the conservationists estimate of the bluegill population in Spearhead lake? In reading over the Capture-Recapture method in #55 on page 437 you will notice we are to assume that the ratio of originally tagged fish to the whole population is equal to the ratio of recaptured tagged fish to the size of the sample. The ratio of originally tagged bluegill to the whole population is 300 X The ration of recaptured tagged bluegill to the sample size is 45 120 300 = 45 This is the proportion set up and ready to solve. I will cross multiply X 120 setting the extremes equal to the means. 120(300) = 45X 36000 = 45X 45 45 X = 800 fish. 120 and 300 are the extremes, while X and 45 are the means. Divide both sides by 45.

The bluegill population of Spearhead Lake is estimated to be around 800

For the second problem in this assignment I am asked to solve this equation for y. The first thing I notice is that it is a single fraction (ratio) on both sides of the equal sign so basically it is a proportion which can be solved by cross multiplying the extremes and means. y + 5 = -1 x2 2 2(y + 5) = -1(x 2) 2y + 10 = -x + 2 2y + 10 10 = -x + 2 10 2y = -x 8 2y = -x 8 2 2 2 The result of the cross multiplying. Distribute 2 on the left and -1 on the right. Subtract 10 from both sides. Divide both sides by 2

y = - x - 4 This is a linear equation in the for m of y = mx + b. I also notice that the slope, - is the same number on the right side of the equation before I ever did anything to it. This makes me think maybe there is another way this equation could have been solved.

(x 2)y + 5 = -1(x 2) x2 2 I would multiply both sides of the equation by (x 2) which cancels the denominator on the left, subtract 5 from both sides to get y alone, and then simplify the right side. It would save a couple of steps from solving it the other way. [Students should remember this example does not demonstrate APA style, nor the inclusion of introductory or concluding paragraphs.]