Number Crunching Statistics Statistics have a way of sneaking up in things we do most every day Statistics can be a simple fact like a sixth grader’s favorite subject 4
Sixth Grader’s Favorite Subject Data Votes 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Math Reading Science Art Music Language Once the information is collected and organized it becomes data 5
Statistical Questions The data you collect is only as good as the questions you ask Asking a statistical question is what you do to collect the best data for me and you Statistical questions must be written to guarantee a variety of expected replies that you can see Time to get into the groove and see if YOU can prove whether a question is statistical or not Question How old are you Statistical No Why Lacks variety Only one possible response What is the typical age of a middle school student Yes What is your favorite food No What is your favorite food on the menu Yes Provides a controlled variety of possible responses Data can be organized Too many possible responses Too much variety Too difficult to organize data Provides a controlled variety of possible responses Data can be organized 6
Answers No The question has too many possible answers and the data would be too difficult to organize Yes The question has a controlled variety of possible responses that allows data to be organized Yes The question has a controlled variety of possible responses that allows data to be organized No The question lacks variety and only has two possible response choices No The question lacks variety and only has one possible response choice Yes The question has a controlled variety of possible responses that allows data to be organized What month is your birthday in Who is the principal Do you have a dog or cat How many pets do you have What is your favorite color of the rainbow What is your favorite color Explain your reasoning Determine if each question asked to your classmates is
