Mass of U.S. Pennies

Students will represent data through histograms for analysis and interpretation. Students will use an electronic balance to determine the mass of many, many U.S. pennies (a one-cent coin) of varying ages. The metallic composition of the penny has changed over the years. Different compositions can have significantly different masses. A sufficiently random selection of hundreds of pennies should allow the students to discover the years in which the composition changed.