Activity
Thanksgiving Car Travel Trends activity: Desmos line graph
Practice your Desmos tech skills with another line chart activity!
In the first post, Using a data table to create a line graph in Desmos, Jennifer Bliss provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a line graph using Desmos. The second post, Thanksgiving Travel Trends activity: Math and Desmos line graph applies what was learned in the first post to an activity about flight travel trends over the Thanksgiving weekend. Students first need to learn how to use the tool, such as Desmos, to create a line graph. Next, they should apply this technical knowledge to complete a math assignment. Finally, they will independently complete a similar activity. This post, centered on traveling by car over Thanksgiving weekend, provides students with an opportunity to practice completing the assignment on their own.
Estimated data for 2024 Thanksgiving travel
For Thanksgiving weekend 2024, the American Automobile Association (AAA) projects that approximately 55.4 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home, an increase of 2.3% from the prior year. Of these travelers, an estimated 49.1 million will drive, reflecting a 1.7% increase compared to 2023. This continues a strong trend of road travel being the dominant mode of transportation during the holiday season
Recent Trends in Thanksgiving Driving
2022 Data:
- Over 55 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving.
- Approximately 49 million of these travelers chose to drive, accounting for nearly 89% of all Thanksgiving travelers.
- This marked a recovery to near pre-pandemic travel levels, with road trips being the most popular mode of transportation.
2021 Data:
- Around 48 million people drove during Thanksgiving, reflecting strong travel demand as pandemic restrictions eased.
Historical Context:
- Thanksgiving is often the second-highest travel holiday in the U.S., after Christmas/New Year, with driving consistently being the top choice due to the affordability and convenience compared to flying.
Interesting travel factors
- Gas Prices: Fluctuations in gas prices can influence the number of road travelers. Lower prices typically encourage more driving.
- Economic Conditions: Economic stability or uncertainty affects disposable income and decisions about leisure travel.
- Pandemic Impact: Travel dropped in 2020 due to COVID-19 but rebounded sharply in subsequent years.
Activity
That’s a lot of data! Choose a specific topic, gather the desired data from above and create a simple line graph with at least three data points.
Goal: The ability to pick out the pertinent data to use in the line graph.
Example: Create a line graph depicting the number of people traveling by car per year from 2021 – 2024.
Solve the problem
With a little thought, the data for car travel over Thanksgiving above includes specific number for 2021, 2022 and estimated 2024; however, students must determine the number for 2023 using the given clues. We know that the number of people driving in 2024 is 49.1 million, which reflects a 1.7% increase compared to 2023. We need to calculate how many people drove in 2023.
2024 Drivers = 2023 Drivers x (1 + Increase Rate)
Let x represent the number of people who drove in 2023. The equation becomes: 49.1 = x × (1 + 0.017)
Simplify: 49.1 = x × 1.017
Solve for x: x = 49.1 divided by 1.017
Answer: Approximately 48.29 million people drove in 2023.
Now that you have the data of people traveling for Thanksgiving by car for 2021-2024, follow the steps in the previous post and create the Thanksgiving Car Travel line graph using Desmos.
Resources
- Using a data table to create a line graph in Desmos (Video tutorial and step-by-step instructions using a screen reader)
- Thanksgiving Travel Trends activity: Math and Desmos line graph (Part 2: Apply the instructions from this post to the Thanksgiving Travel Trends activity!)
- Thanksgiving Car Travel Trends activity: Desmos line graph (Part 3: Independent practice)
- Thanksgiving Travel Trends activity: Desmos line graphs part 4 (Creating line graphs from tables in Word and creating line graphs with three lines)
By Diane Brauner
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