VARIABLE DATA AND STATISTICAL QUESTIONS

The question “How much does a typical cat weigh?” is an example of a statistical question. A statistical question is a question that has many different, or variable, answers.

Part A : 

Instruction : 

Decide whether each of the situations below could yield variable data.

Question 1 :

Your sister wants to know the typical weight for an adult cat.

Answer : Variable 

Question 2 :

 You want to know how tall your friend is.

Answer : Not variable 

Question 3 :

You want to know how far your house is from school.

Answer : Not variable 

Question 4 :

A car owner wants to know how much money people usually pay for a new tire.

Answer : Variable 

Question 5 :

How many students were in line for lunch at the cafeteria today at 12:30 ?

Answer : Not variable 

Part B :

Question 6 :

For which of the situations in part A can you write a statistical question ? Write questions for these situations.

Answer : 

1 and 4;

1. How much does a typical adult cat weigh ?

4. How much does a tire usually cost ?

Question 7 :

Choose one of the questions you wrote in part B . How might you find answers to this question ? What units would you use for the answers ?

Answer : 

Sample answers :

1. Weigh a sample of adult cats and find the mean or median weight in pounds.

4. Ask people who recently bought a tire how much they paid in dollars, and find the mean or median.

Part C :

Question 8 :

The town council members want to know how much recyclable trash a typical household in town generates each week.

Tell whether the situation could yield variable data. If possible, write a statistical question.

Answer : 

Variable data

Sample answer :

How many pounds of recyclable trash does each household generate ?

Question 9 :

Describe how a statistical question yields an answer with variability. Give an example.

Answer : 

A statistical question has many different, or variable answers. Sample example: How old are my friends’ pets ?

Question 10 :

An antique collector wants to know the age of a particular chair in a shop.

Determine whether the question is a statistical question. If it is a statistical question, identify the units for the answer.

Answer : 

Not statistical

Question 11 :

How tall do the people in your immediate and extended family tend to be?

Determine whether the question is a statistical question. If it is a statistical question, identify the units for the answer.

Answer : 

Statistical

Units : feet and inches or centimeters

Question 12 :

How tall is Sam ? 

Determine whether the question is a statistical question. If it is a statistical question, identify the units for the answer.

Answer : 

Not statistical

Question 13 :

How much did your classmates typically spend on music downloads last year ?

Determine whether the question is a statistical question. If it is a statistical question, identify the units for the answer.

Answer : 

Statistical

Units : dollars

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