to help each other between classes and before exams;
participating in review sessions before exams?
Here are the steps you take to install and run your tutorial.
Step 1:
Start your computer and close any open Windows programs.
Insert your EIA 3.0 CD-rom in your computer. Before you can start Economics in
Action with a 1-2-3 everyday sequence of mouse clicks on --
(1) Start -
(2) Programs -
(3)Click EIA 3.0 icon -- you have to install the EIA 3.0 program. The installation
process creates the icon. So do the installation process in Step 2 next.
Step 2: To install EIA 3.0
Click you mouse on My Computer;
Locate and click on your cd-rom drive containing your EIA 3.0 cd-rom;
Locate and click on the blue-screened-computer icon labeled setup.exe.
Reboot your computer.
Running setup.exe should create a red EIA 3.0 icon accessible from your desktop so that
from now on you can skip step 2.
Step 3: From now on
Starting and running EIA 3.0 is as simple as
Start your computer.
Insert your EIA 3.0 CD-rom in your computer.
Perform the start Economics in Action with a 1-2-3 everyday sequence of mouse
clicks on
(1) Start -
(2) Programs -
(3)Click EIA 3.0 icon
How to use the main screen in EIA 3.0
The main screen in EIA 3.0 offers you a menu of five choices. Take the tutorial
on how to use EIA 3.0 called Using EIA first. To take Using EIA, select it with your
mouse and click. You can guide yourself through the EIA sequence of slides by
clicking on forward and back near the upper right-hand corners of the slides.
You'll use other portions of your Economics in Action CD beginning with week #2 in
which we study the chapter called Markets in Action.
If you're having technical difficulties
If you have trouble with these steps contact Mr. Mark Nelson, the course technical
assistant in the PHCC Library Learning Center by calling:
Mark Nelson
(540) 656-0275
List the first two course objectives from your text page 19:
1.
2.
I. Graphing
Data
A. Graphs are valuable tools that clarify what
otherwise might be obscure relationships.
B. Graphs represent "quantity" as a distance.
C. Two-variable graphs use two perpendicular scale lines.
1. The vertical line is the y-axis.
2. The horizontal line is the x-axis.
3. The zero point in common to both axes is the origin.
D. Three types of graphs are scatter diagrams, time-series graphs, and cross-section
graphs.
1. A scatter diagram plots the value of one variable that is associated with
the value of another variable. For instance, as illustrated in the textbook, a scatter
diagram might show how the average level of consumption is associated with the average
income in the United States between 1986 and 1996.
a) Scatter diagrams can make clear the relationship between two variables. For
example, they may show that an increase in one variable (say, average income) is
correlated with an increase in other variable (say, average consumption). Correlation does
not necessarily imply causation.
b) Graphs can have breaks in their axes, indicating that there are jumps in the
variable being measured.
c) Graphs may mislead by stretching or squeezing an axis to either
over-emphasize or minimize fluctuations in a variable.
2. Time-series graphs plot time along the horizontal axis and the variable
being studied along the vertical axis.
a) A time-series graph shows the level of the variable, how it changes over time,
whether changes are rapid or slow, and whether there is any trend.
b) Comparing two time-series on a single diagram may require the use of different
scales for the variables.
3. A cross-section graph shows the values of an economic variable for different
groups at the same point in time. An example, given in the text, of a cross-section graph
is the average income in the nations ten largest metropolitan areas in 1993.
II. Graphs Used in Economic Models
A. Graphs are often used to show the relationship
between variables in an economic model, a simplified description of the economy or
a part of the economy.
B. Graphs often have a basic pattern that can immediately convey the relationship
between the variables.
1. A positive relationship (or direct relationship) occurs when an
increase (decrease) in the variable on the horizontal axis is associated with an increase
(decrease) in the variable on the vertical axis.
a) A relationship illustrated by a straight line is a linear relationship.
2. A negative relationship (or inverse relationship) is shown when an
increase (decrease) in the variable on the horizontal axis is related to a decrease
(increase) in the variable on the vertical axis.
3. A relationship may have a maximum or a minimum. In this case, a
particular value of one of the variables is associated with the highest (or lowest) value
for the other variable.
4. If there is no relationship between the variables, so that no matter what
happens to one variable the other remains constant, the diagram is either a horizontal or
a vertical line.
(The viewgraphs
provide assistance in mastering the course objectives.Take
your own notes.)
Divide into teams of three persons. Prepare a five minute oral report
wherein each of you provides either an introduction, body, or a conclusion from your
team's visit to one of the following:
http://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/Economics/Growth/ Site includes links to statistical datasets, reading, research and matters related to
economic growth
http://www.igc/org/thp/ The Ending World Hunger Project links to conference reports, maps, and speeches
http://www.interaction.org/ 100 non-profit organizations wanting to help the world's poor with a mission
statement, search engine, calendar of events, etc.
http://www.worldbank.org/ The World Bank - a source of financing for less developed countries.
Notes
Introduction
Body
1.
2.
3.
4.
Conclusion
7. Let's begin the Questions and Problems (Study Guide pages 13-18)
Most students will find it worthwhile to
compare their answers to those of a study partner or the class as a whole.
Complete the study guide True/False, Multiple
Choice, and Problems that teach you about:
Graphing Data;
Graphs Used in Economic Models.
8. A Half Dozen More Discussion Questions
1. Suppose you have 150
pairs of variables. Is it easier to find positive and negative relationships using a
graph, or by comparing sets of the variables?
2. How would a scatter diagram reveal whether two variables are positively or
negatively related?
3. You think that the price of gold rises when inflation rises, and the price of
gold falls when inflation falls. Which diagram or diagrams help you check your
hypothesis?
4. What is the connection between the slope of a line and whether the relationship
is direct or inverse?
5. If a line slopes downward and to the right, is its slope positive or negative?
If a line slopes upward and to the right, is its slope positive or negative?
6. If a curve has a maximum point, what is the slope of the curve to the left of the
maximum point, at the maximum point, and to the right of the maximum point?
9. Homework
1. Review Key Concepts pages 11
- 12 in your study guide.
2. Complete the odd-numbered Questions from your study
guide pages 13 - 18 and check your answers on pages 19 - 23.
3. Compare your class notes and your understanding of the homework Questions with
your study partner.
4. Become comfortable with using your Economics in Action tutorial portion called
Using EIA.
10. Summary
1. Graphs sometimes
reveal results that are otherwise not observed.
2. The delta, or "change in" symbol (a triangle) is a shorthand way of
helping you find the slope of a line =
delta Y / delta X.
3. If in the future you become puzzled about the math in the book, use this chapter
as a reference.
4. A scatter diagram plots the values of one variable associated with another
variable (such as consumer spending and consumer income for the decade of the1990s.
Scatter diagrams show relationships, such as whether spending rises as income rises.
5. A time-series graph plots time on the horizontal axis and the variable being
studied on the vertical axis (such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average during the most
recent month. Time-series show how a variable changes over time.
6. A cross-section graph shows values of an economic variable for different groups
for a point in time (such as average income in major U.S. cities during 1998).