Mean, Mode and Median
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Maths KS4 Lesson 1: Mean, mode and median
Screen 1.1: Battersea is one location where the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) will be lowered down a large shaft, to bore through sand and clay deep under London and the River Thames. Click next to see an image of a TBM at work.
Screen 1.2: The TBM has a rotating cutter head with rows of cutting disks. These grind away the rock as the head rotates. The rock is crushed and removed by conveyor. The TBM moves by pushing against the sides of the Tunnel with thrust cylinders.
Screen 3.1: This is a TBM conveyor. It must work constantly in difficult conditions. Sometimes rock particles may interfere with the smooth working of the conveyor. How can the engineers predict how often this might happen?
Screen 3.2: Engineers on the Thames Tideway Tunnel often have to make sense of raw data.
3.2b: Correct answer
Screen 3.3: Look at the newly organised data and calculate the mean.
3.3b: Correct answer
Screen 3.4: Engineers use data to calculate the time between any unplanned maintenance.
3.4b: Correct answer
Screen 3.5: The manufacturer uses this data to create planned maintenance schedules for the TBM and conveyor system, so there are minimal delays in getting the Tunnel operational and keeping sewage out of the River Thames.
3.5b: Correct answer