Of the major interstates in the country, I-5 passes through the second-largest population (behind only I-95 on the nation's east coast). In its path from southern California to Washington State, I-5 traverses densely populated areas of Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle but, in contrast to the I-95 transportation corridor, there are long stretches of I-5 that pass through areas with very low population density such as California's Central Valley. Using 2010 data, the "I-5 Population Density Profile" data visualization depicts population density amongst areas within 5 miles of I-5 route.

Calculating with Scientific Notation - Comparing Populations

Students will use population data from the U.S. Census Bureau to read and write numbers in scientific notation and to make comparisons of that data for states and decades.