Cemetery Data Collection:

After collecting data in the cemetery you will use the data to analyze trends pre/post 1950 and
create a survivorship curve.

Part One: Looking at the Data

In complete sentences answer the following:
1. Scientifically speaking, what SHOULD the male to female ratio be for human population?
2. What was the male to female ratio for males pre/post 1950 compared to females pre/post 1950
(reduce)?
3. What are two social aspects that could account for the ratio described above (why is there a slightly
higher amount of one gender compared to the other).
4. Create two tables- one that combines male and female PRE 1950 data and the other that combines
male and female POST 1950 data. Your tables must include “Age in years” intervals, total populations
per age interval, percentage of individuals (out of total) that died in each age interval and total number
of individuals.
5. Which age group had the highest death rate pre 1950 (include percentages)
6. Which age group had the highest death rate post 1950? (include percentages)
7. Which age group had the lowest death rate pre 1950? (include percentages)
8. Which age group had the lowest death rate post 1950? (include percentages)
9. When looking at overall percentages, what age group was uncharacteristic of what you would expect
to find in a cemetery? Explain what might have occurred or the anomaly itself ( Think about what age
groups would you expect to find in a cemetery and how many people you found in each- what was
abnormal? AND DON’T SAY “NOTHING”)
10. Explain three area-specific factors that might vary from state to state that could change the overall
demographics of mortality/survivorship?
11. Explain the errors that could have occurred in this lab and how they would change the results.

Part Two: Calculate Survivorship and Graph- HAND DRAWN

1. In column A, write down the number of people who died for each 10-year age interval listed (0-9, 10-
19, etc.) from the combined data collected at the cemetery.
2. At the bottom of column A, write down the total number of people who died in this data set (i.e., add
all of the numbers in the column).
3. Copy the total from the bottom of column A to the first row of column B (age interval 0-9). This is the
total number of people in your group’s data set upon which death took its toll as they grew older.
4. Then, subtract the number who died in each age interval (from column A) from the number who are
were "alive" in your sample from the beginning of that age interval (from the same row in column B),
and write this number in the next row in column B. Repeat this for all ages in B.
5. Calculate the SURVIVORSHIP. For each row in column C, divide the number in column B by the total
that you found at the bottom of column A. This gives you the fraction of the people that survived to
each age interval. By definition, the SURVIVORSHIP of the first age interval equals 1.000, regardless.
6. Using graph paper or computer paper plot the SURVIVORSHIP (in column C) as a function
of age from your data. (Age on the X-axis and survivorship on the y-axis). Repeat this for
the other three age/time groups (on one graph)

Analysis Questions:
Answer the following questions in complete, thoughtful sentences.
1. What type of survivorship curve does McKinney have pre 1950 best represent?
2. What type of survivorship curve does McKinney have post 1950 best represent?
3. Does the data reflect and/or which data set reflects the typical survivorship curve of a human? Why or
why not?
 4. Provide TWO specific reasons infant/juvenile mortality is different from pre 1950 to post 1950
(compare pre and post, why are the numbers the way they are- be specific to this age group, vague
answers like “medicine” will earn no credit)

5. Provide TWO specific reasons reproductive age mortality is different from pre 1950 to post 1950.
(compare pre and post, why are the numbers the way they are- be specific to this age group, vague
answers like “medicine” will earn no credit)

6. Provide TWO specific reasons adults age 60-80 mortality is differen from pre 1950 to post 1950.
(compare pre and post, why are the numbers the way they are- be specific to this age group, vague
answers like “medicine” will earn no credit)

7. What age group(s) would be affected if AIDS continues to increase in prevalence without cure? Draw a
simple survivorship curve to reflect how it would be different from your post 1950 data

8. What age group(s) would be affected if environmental problems worsen and pollution-related diseases
increase? Draw a simple survivorship curve to reflect how it would be different from your post 1950
data

9. What age group(s) would be affected if cutbacks to social services such as prenatal and infant care are
enacted? Draw a simple survivorship curve to reflect how it would be different from your post 1950
data

10. Explain how the data that you collected could be useful to an insurance company.

Please turn in your lab report in the following order through turnitin.com:

1. Part One Questions & Tables

2. Analysis Questions

Turn in a hardcopy of:

3. Survivorship curve
 Survivorship and Morality Calculations
Directions:
1. In column A, write down the number of people who died for each 10-year age interval listed (0-9, 10-19, etc.) from your group’s
data set from Data Sheet #1.
2. At the bottom of column A, write down the total number of people who died in this data set (i.e., add all of the numbers in the
column).
3. Copy the total from the bottom of column A to the first row of column B (age interval 0-9). This is the total number of people in
your group’s data set upon which death took its toll as they grew older.
4. Then, subtract the number who died in each age interval (from column A) from the number who are were "alive" in your sample
from the beginning of that age interval (from the same row in column B), and write this number in the next row in column B.
Repeat this for all ages in B.
5. Calculate the SURVIVORSHIP. For each row in column C, divide the number in column B by the total that you found at the
bottom of column A. This gives you the fraction of the people that survived to each age interval. By definition, the
SURVIVORSHIP of the first age interval equals 1.000, regardless.

Calculations for FEMALES PRE 1950

# who are "alive" at

# of deaths per age interval SURVIVORSHIP
age in  years the beginning of the age interval
Colunm A       Column C = Column B / Total
Column B
    0 - 9   Total =          1.000 (by definition)

10 - 19

20 - 29

30 - 39

40 - 49

50 - 59

60 - 69

70 - 79

80 - 89

90 - 99

 100 - 109

               Total = ______________________ copy this number to the first row (age 0-9) in Column B

Survivorship and Mortality Calculations

Directions:
6. In column A, write down the number of people who died for each 10-year age interval listed (0-9, 10-19, etc.) from your group’s
data set from Data Sheet #1.
7. At the bottom of column A, write down the total number of people who died in this data set (i.e., add all of the numbers in the
column).
8. Copy the total from the bottom of column A to the first row of column B (age interval 0-9). This is the total number of people in
your group’s data set upon which death took its toll as they grew older.
9. Then, subtract the number who died in each age interval (from column A) from the number who are were "alive" in your sample
from the beginning of that age interval (from the same row in column B), and write this number in the next row in column B.
Repeat this for all ages in B.
10. Calculate the SURVIVORSHIP. For each row in column C, divide the number in column B by the total that you found at the
bottom of column A. This gives you the fraction of the people that survived to each age interval. By definition, the
SURVIVORSHIP of the first age interval equals 1.000, regardless.

Calculations for MALES PRE 1950

# who are "alive" at

# of deaths per age interval SURVIVORSHIP
age in  years the beginning of the age interval
Colunm A       Column C = Column B / Total
Column B
   0 - 9   Total =          1.000 (by definition)
 10 - 19

20 - 29

30 - 39

40 - 49

50 - 59

60 - 69

70 - 79

80 - 89

90 - 99

 100 - 109

               Total = ______________________ copy this number to the first row (age 0-9) in Column B

Survivorship and Mortality Calculations

Directions:
11. In column A, write down the number of people who died for each 10-year age interval listed (0-9, 10-19, etc.) from your group’s
data set from Data Sheet #1.
12. At the bottom of column A, write down the total number of people who died in this data set (i.e., add all of the numbers in the
column).
13. Copy the total from the bottom of column A to the first row of column B (age interval 0-9). This is the total number of people in
your group’s data set upon which death took its toll as they grew older.
14. Then, subtract the number who died in each age interval (from column A) from the number who are were "alive" in your sample
from the beginning of that age interval (from the same row in column B), and write this number in the next row in column B.
Repeat this for all ages in B.
15. Calculate the SURVIVORSHIP. For each row in column C, divide the number in column B by the total that you found at the
bottom of column A. This gives you the fraction of the people that survived to each age interval. By definition, the
SURVIVORSHIP of the first age interval equals 1.000, regardless.

Calculations for FEMALES POST 1950

# who are "alive" at

# of deaths per age interval SURVIVORSHIP
age in  years the beginning of the age interval
Colunm A       Column C = Column B / Total
Column B
   0 - 9   Total =          1.000 (by definition)

10 - 19
 20 - 29

30 - 39

40 - 49

50 - 59

60 - 69

70 - 79

80 - 89

90 - 99

 100 - 109

               Total = ______________________ copy this number to the first row (age 0-9) in Column B

Survivorship and Mortality Calculations

Directions:
16. In column A, write down the number of people who died for each 10-year age interval listed (0-9, 10-19, etc.) from your group’s
data set from Data Sheet #1.
17. At the bottom of column A, write down the total number of people who died in this data set (i.e., add all of the numbers in the
column).
18. Copy the total from the bottom of column A to the first row of column B (age interval 0-9). This is the total number of people in
your group’s data set upon which death took its toll as they grew older.
19. Then, subtract the number who died in each age interval (from column A) from the number who are were "alive" in your sample
from the beginning of that age interval (from the same row in column B), and write this number in the next row in column B.
Repeat this for all ages in B.
20. Calculate the SURVIVORSHIP. For each row in column C, divide the number in column B by the total that you found at the
bottom of column A. This gives you the fraction of the people that survived to each age interval. By definition, the
SURVIVORSHIP of the first age interval equals 1.000, regardless.

Calculations for MALES POST 1950

# who are "alive" at

# of deaths per age interval SURVIVORSHIP
age in  years the beginning of the age interval
Colunm A       Column C = Column B / Total
Column B
   0 - 9   Total =          1.000 (by definition)

10 - 19

20 - 29
 30 - 39

40 - 49

50 - 59

60 - 69

70 - 79

80 - 89

90 - 99

 100 - 109

               Total = ______________________ copy this number to the first row (age 0-9) in Column B