Goals of the Unit

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  1. apply the process of statistical investigation to pose questions, to identify ways data are collected, and to determine strategies for analyzing data in order to answer the questions posed
  2. recognize that variability occurs whenever data are collected
  3. describe the variability in the distribution of a given data set
  4. identify sources of variability, including natural variability and variability that results from errors in measurement
  5. determine whether to use the mean or median to describe a distribution
  6. use the shape of a distribution to estimate the location of the mean and the median
  7. use a variety of representations, including tables, bar graphs, and line plots, to display distributions
  8. understand and use counts or percents to report frequencies of occurrence of data
  9. compare the distributions of data sets using their centers (mean, median, and mode), variability (outliers and range), and shape (clusters and gaps)
  10. decide if a difference among data values or summary measures matter
  11. develop and use strategies to compare data sets to solve problems

Vocabulary

attribute                                              ordered value bar graph
counts                                                 range
distribution                                         value of an attribute
measures                                            value of a bar graph
measures of center                            value of a set of numerical data