IB Math SL Type II Portfolio - BMI Index

The first 200 words of this essay...

IB Math SL Type II Portfolio

January 14, 2010

In this portfolio, we will look at the median BMI indexes for females between the ages of two and twenty in the US in the year 2000; and from this data, a model function will be determined. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of a person's body fat, and is calculated by this formula:

Looking at the data table we can see that there are two variables: one being the age (in years), and the other being the BMI. The independent variable is the age and the dependent variable is the BMI, since the BMI's of the females depend on what age they are. The parameters are the weight and height of the females, which both directly affect the BMI. After using software to graph the data points, I believe the graph's behavior is best modeled by the cosine function, since it has a wave-like shape and is periodic. Next, I will create an equation that fits the graph by examining the parts that make up a cosine function. First, let's take a look at the general cosine function: f(x) = a*cos(bx + c)