Lesson 2

Statistical Questions

Let's look more closely at data and the questions they can help to answer.

Problem 1

Sixth-grade students were asked, “What grade are you in?” Explain why this is not a statistical question.

Problem 2

Lin and her friends went out for ice cream after school. The following questions came up during their trip. Select all the questions that are statistical questions.

A:

How far are we from the ice cream shop?

B:

What is the most popular ice cream flavor this week?

C:

What does a group of 4 people typically spend on ice cream at this shop?

D:

Do kids usually prefer to get a cup or a cone?

E:

How many toppings are there to choose from?

Problem 3

Here is a list of questions about the students and teachers at a school. Select all the questions that are statistical questions.

A:

What is the most popular lunch choice?

B:

What school do these students attend?

C:

How many math teachers are in the school?

D:

What is a common age for the teachers at the school?

E:

About how many hours of sleep do students generally get on a school night?

F:

How do students usually travel from home to school?

Problem 4

Here is a list of statistical questions. What data would you collect and analyze to answer each question? For numerical data, include the unit of measurement that you would use.

  1. What is a typical height of female athletes on a team in the most recent international sporting event?
  2. Are most adults in the school football fans?
  3. How long do drivers generally need to wait at a red light in Washington, DC?

Problem 5

Describe the scale you would use on the coordinate plane to plot each set of points. What value would you assign to each unit of the grid?

  1. \((1, \text-6)\), \((\text-7, \text-8)\), \((\text-3, 7)\), \((0, 9)\)
  2. \((\text-20, \text-30)\), \((\text-40, 10)\), \((20, \text-10)\), \((5, \text-20)\)
  3. \((\frac {\text{-}1}{3},\text-1), (\frac{2}{3}, \text-1 \frac13), (\frac {\text{-}4}{3},\frac23), (\frac16, 0)\)
A blank coordinate grid. Both the horizontal axis and vertical axis have 9 evenly spaced units
(From Unit 7, Lesson 13.)

Problem 6

Noah’s water bottle contains more than 1 quart of water but less than \(1 \frac{1}{2}\) quarts. Let \(w\) be the amount of water in Noah’s bottle, in quarts. Select all the true statements.

A:

\(w\) could be \(\frac{3}{4}\).

B:

\(w\) could be 1.

C:

\(w > 1\)

D:

\(w\) could be \(\frac 4 3\).

E:

\(w\) could be \(\frac 5 4\).

F:

\(w\) could be \(\frac 5 3\).

G:

\(w > 1.5\)

(From Unit 7, Lesson 9.)

Problem 7

Order these numbers from least to greatest:

\(|\text-17|\)

\(|\text-18|\)

-18

\(|19|\)

20

(From Unit 7, Lesson 7.)