Statistics Assignment Page 1 of 3

Distributions of Data

Notes:
For all answers, be sure to use to use the correct symbols for the sample mean,
population mean, sample standard deviation, and population standard deviation.
Please label your answers (1A, 1B, 1C, etc.).


1. The following are the salaries of employees in a small business:

15,000 15,000 17,500 23,500 23,750 25,000 26,000 27,500 29,000 45,000

(5 Points)

A. Before using your calculator, do you think that the mean or the median for
these values will be higher? Why do you think so?

B. What are the mean and median of the salaries? Was your answer to (A)
correct?

C. Find the standard deviation and the IQR of the data

D. Describe the shape of the distribution terms of its overall shape, clusters gaps,
or outliers, and skewness. Be sure to give the locations of the main features
(for example, at what values are the gaps, if there are any gaps).

E. Speculate on the reasons for why the distribution is shaped as it is.


2. Consider the following histogram:



(5 Points)

A. Describe the shape of this distribution. Are there any gaps or outliers?

B. Is the mean greater than or less than the median in this data set?

C. The graph below shows a box plot of the data superimposed over the
histogram. Interpret the long whisker on the left in terms of the shape of the
distribution, and explain why the median appears to be to the right of the
center of the box.

Statistics Assignment Page 2 of 3
Distributions of Data




3. The following represents the outcomes of rolling a die 600 times.

FACE 1 2 3 4 5 6
Number 107 120 84 110 92 87

(5 Points)

A. What are the mean and median number of the number of times a face will

B. What are the mean and median face value of the 600 rolls of the die?

C. Suppose the die was perfectly fair (that is, there were exactly 100 of each
outcome). Now, what would be the mean and median face value of the 600
rolls of the die?

D. Draw a histogram of the outcomes for the six faces. Describe the shape of the
distribution you get. (Note: It will be faster to draw this histogram by hand.)


4. The data listed here are the weights (in pounds) of 29 packages of beef in a
supermarket meat display:

.99 1.08 .97 1.18 1.41
1.28 .83 1.05 1.23 1.46
.75 1.02 1.05 .87 .99
1.01 1.03 1.12 1.12 .93
1.24 .89 .98 1.14 .92
1.33 1.43 1.18 1.17

(5 Points)

A. Construct a histogram to display the distribution of weights, and describe the
shape. (You may want to first make the histogram on your calculator and then
sketch what you see. You do not need to label the class boundaries; just show
the shape of the distribution.)
appear?
Statistics Assignment Page 3 of 3
Distributions of Data

B. Find the mean and the median of the distribution.

C. Explain the difference of these two measures of center in terms of the
symmetry or skewness of the distribution.


5. Following are a simple random sample of heights (in inches) of nandina bushes grown in
a nursery. All bushes are of the same species:

24.4 32.8 29.9 31 33
48.7 51.5 54 53 54
31 30.1 30.9 33.7 34
53 47.5 46.7 49.4 51.1
33.7 35.8 32.9 30.7 23.6
49.4 50.9 50.7 52.5 52.2
30.7 22.3 34.9 20.9 31.1
52.5 49.5 49 47.4 54.7
20.9 31.9 22.9 32.8 24.4
47.4 54.3 50.9 51.5 48.7

(5 Points)

A. Characterize this distribution in terms of center and spread (variation).

B. Draw a histogram and describe its shape. (If you use your calculator to create
a histogram, be sure to try different Xscl, Xmin, and Xmax settings in
WINDOW. You don't need to label all your class boundaries.)

C. Offer a theory as to why the shape looks as it does. Be sure to give the
locations of the main features (for example, at what values are the gaps, if
there are any gaps).

D. What would be a good strategy for sorting and characterizing these data?

E. How do the mean and median compare? What do the IQR and standard
deviation say about this distribution?





TI-83 screens are used with the permission of the publisher. Copyright 1996, Texas
Instruments, Incorporated.




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