More Data
Fathom comes with more than 300 sample documents, accessed by choosing Open Sample Documents from the File menu. Here are even more data sets to explore.
Fathom Data Sets and Simulations
Random Sample Size: This simulation (.ftm) shows how to take samples of a randomly chosen size, so you can investigate relationships between sample size and other characteristics related to sample size. In the document, you can watch the relationship between standard error and sample size take shape.
Standardized Tests: Do students who take a standardized test multiple times have an advantage over those who take it only once or twice? This simulation (.ftm) lets you find out and even find out how much of an advantage they may or may not have. It’s a simulation in which students are assumed to have taken the same test six times and the maximum score for the first 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 tests is computed. It’s assumed that students don’t naturally do better each time and also that there’s no maximum score possible on the test.
Prime Time: Interested in number theory investigations? This data set (.ftm) includes two indispensable collections in one document: the first 10,008 primes, and the first 1,008 twin primes. (Twin primes are pairs of prime numbers that have a difference of 2, such as 11 and 13.)
UNICEF Data on Basic Indicators of Children’s Health by Country: This data set (.ftm) includes 15 attributes for each of 194 countries. The attributes provide insight into children’s health in these countries. If you join the collection provided here with the “Cities of the World” document that comes with Fathom, you can make maps like the one at right.
Tuberculosis Rates and Sanitation Access: Does improving sanitation affect the rate of tuberculosis in a given country? Don’t get caught in an “assuming causality” trap—take a look at this data set (.ftm).
Children’s Nutrition in the Countries of the World: This UNESCO data set (.ftm) allows you to study 11 attributes for 195 countries. These data provide glimpses of the problems our world faces—and they may ignite a passion in your students to work to make things better.
Children’s Health in the Countries of the World: Also from UNESCO, this data set (.ftm) provides 20 attributes for 195 countries. Topics for investigation include drinking water, sanitation, immunization, and malaria prevention and treatment.
Links to External Data Collections
The Guardian: The United Kingdom’s The Guardian has a blog of current and interesting data, usually including downloadable data sets. Their full listing of alphabetized data categories can be found here.
Australasian Data and Story Library: The Australasian Data and Story Library (ozDASL) is a library of data sets and associated stories. It is intended as a resource for teachers of statistics in Australia and New Zealand, and emphasis is given to data sets with an Australasian context. Some of these data sets import into Fathom flawlessly, while others require a bit of massaging.
Quantitative Environmental Learning Project: The Quantitative Environmental Learning Project (QELP) has a growing collection of data sets regarding the environment, broken down by math or by environmental topic.
Data Zoo: Tim Erickson’s Data Zoo is the page where you can find some of the data that eeps Media uses in their science project. It may also be of interest to statistics teachers, especially those who teach about linear and nonlinear models. Tim is one of the original designers of Fathom, so all of the data on this page, now and in the future, are guaranteed to be Fathomable.
Data Services of the U.S. Naval Observatory: The Data Services page of the U.S. Naval Observatory includes rise and set times for the sun and moon; dates for the moon phases, solar and lunar eclipses, and other seasonal dates; positional information of solar system objects, and other data. You may have to copy and paste the data into a Fathom collection, rather than import by dragging, but it’s a pretty cool site!
Exoplanets.org: Exoplanets.org has data on planets found around other suns. The California and Carnegie Planet Search team seems to keep updating this site, so when you hear of newly discovered planets, you can probably find information about them here.
Data sets used by Robert Gould at UCLA: Robert Gould used these data sets in his course for high school statistics teachers. These import into Fathom beautifully.
Gallup Poll: This page on the Gallup Poll website consists of links to time-series data—results of polls using the same question over time (such as presidential approval ratings). You must register for a free account in order to access the data.
The Baseball Archive: Sean Lahman’s website features baseball statistics (beginning in 1871!), including player salary data.