Mixed Statistics Problems

1. A health magazine presented results of a recent study that analyzed data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000. Results reveal that for both men and women in the United States, heart disease remains the number one killer, victimizing 500,000 people annually. Age, obesity, and inactivity all contribute to heart disease, and all three of these factors vary considerably from one location to the next. The highest mortality rates (deaths per 100,000 people) were reported in New York, Florida, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, whereas the lowest were reported in Alaska, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. (16 points)
a. What is the population?
b. What is the sample?
c. Is the study descriptive or inferential in nature? Explain.
d. Is the study observational or experimental? Explain.
e. What are the variables?
f. In your opinion what level of measurement was used to obtain data from the variables?
g. Classify all the variables of the study as either attribute or numerical.
h. What parameter best characterizes the risk for each member of the population?
2. Identify each of the following as examples of nominal, ordinal, discrete, or continuous variables: (6 points)
a. A poll of registered voters in Florida asking which candidate they support
b. The length of time required for a wound to heal when using a new medicine
c. The number of telephone calls arriving at a switchboard per five-minute period
d. The distance first-year college football players can kick a ball
e. The number of pages in your statistics textbook
f. The rankings of employees on their job performance
3. Based on your readings, identify and describe - in your own words - the four levels of measurement. (4 points)
4. Construct a frequency distribution table to organize the following set of quiz scores: (5 points)
3 5 4 6 2 3 4 1 4 3 7 7 3
4 5 8 3 2 4 7 10
5. Construct a grouped frequency distribution for the following 28 scores using a class width of 5. (5 points)
23 20 18 22 12 14 21 23 16 21 22
21 16 18 27 30 17 24 21 27 19 29
25 23 28 24 19 18
6. Identify the sampling technique used to obtain a sample in each of the following. Explain why you chose the sampling technique you did for each. (10 points)
a. Every 20th washing machine coming off an assembly line is checked for defects
b. District supervisors are selected using random numbers in order to determine annual salaries.
c. Students at a local university are classified according to their major. Then a random sample of 20 students from each major is selected.
d. The first 40 people entering a supermarket are asked their opinion on the price of cooking oil.
e. A state is divided into regions using zip codes. A random sample of 30 zip code areas is selected.