MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 371 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Data analysis
and evaluation
10
Lorenzo and Aziz are goal
shooters for two opposing
netball teams. Their percentage
success rates over 5 matches
are:
Lorenzo — 80%, 90%, 85%,
75%, 80%
Aziz — 85%, 95%, 50%,
90%, 85%.
One player is to be chosen for a
representative team. Based on
these figures, which player is
the better goal shooter?
In this chapter you will learn
ways to calculate the answer to
problems such as this.
 MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 372 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

are you 372 Maths Quest 8 for Victoria

Are you ready? READY?

Try the questions below. If you have difficulty with any of them, extra help can be
obtained by completing the matching SkillSHEET. Either click on the SkillSHEET icon
next to the question on the Maths Quest 8 CD-ROM or ask your teacher for a copy.

10.1 1 State whether the following pieces of data are discrete or continuous.
HEET a The daily temperature
SkillS

b Your mark in a Maths exam

c Your shoe size
d The time taken to run 100 metres

10.2 2 State whether each of the following pieces of data are quantitative or categorical.
HEET a The make of car sold at a used car yard
SkillS

b The amount of rain that falls in a month

c The age of each player in a football team
d The number of CDs sold each day in a music store

10.3 3 Find the following:

HEET
a 3
b 15
× 800 c 335
× 80
SkillS

---
5
of 60 ------
40
------------
1000

10.4 4 Find the average of the following scores.

HEET a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 b 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
SkillS

c 1, 7, 9, 4, 2 d 180, 426, 392, 874

HEET
10.6 5 Draw a dot plot to represent the following data.
6 8 7 5 9 8 6 8 6 4 7
SkillS

6 Put the following scores into a frequency distribution table.

HEET
10.7 6 4 8 7 5 9 5 8 5 9
SkillS

9 5 7 6 7 5 6 5 5 6
9 7 7 8 4 5 5 9 6 4

10.8 7 Place the following scores into a stem-and-leaf plot.

HEET 48 31 20 20 46 20 25 41 32 49
SkillS

24 31 31 28 46 48 41 46 27 46
29 24 36 44 29 40 41 20 39 41

10.9 8 Arrange the following scores in order then state the middle score.
HEET a 4, 8, 3, 9, 2 b 27, 16, 3, 9, 11
SkillS

c 5, 6, 4, 8, 2, 9, 4 d 9, 9, 8, 7, 8, 4, 9
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Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 373

Questionnaires and sampling
In chapter 3 we looked at data representation, collecting data and then ways of pre-
senting the data both in the form of a graph and a table. In this chapter, we will look at
analysing the data and making a summary of the information presented.
We first need to consider what data are going to be collected and plan how we are
going to collate the data.

Collecting data for surveys and questionnaires

Great care must be taken when framing questions to collect data by post or by personal
interview. It is common for people to misunderstand the point of a question. The
answers to the questions must be in a form that makes them easy to collate.
Designing a questionnaire
When designing a questionnaire it is important to keep these key principles in mind.
1. Know exactly what kind of data you are after before you start framing the questions.
2. Adapt the questions to suit the target population.
3. Word each question for clarity and courtesy.
4. Keep the answers’ format as simple as possible. Some of the ways of doing this are:
(a) circling or recording a number
(b) ticking a box
(c) Yes/No/Don’t know
(d) a scaled rating, such as the one below
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Totally Strongly Moderately Neither Moderately Strongly Totally

disagree disagree disagree agree agree agree agree
nor
disagree
(e) a single word.
5. Arrange all questions in a clear, uncluttered layout.
6. Go for the minimum possible number of questions.
7. Trial your best efforts on several people from the target group and rewrite as
necessary.

Members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) have drafted a questionnaire

regarding their role in the school. The draft questions are as follows.
1. In your opinion, how has the SRC gone
about achieving its goals of the past year?
2. In your opinion, what should the SRC try
to achieve this year?
3. If the SRC were to fundraise for a
specific school-based project, what would
be some realistic ideas you could offer that
the money could go to?
4. To what extent are you prepared to support
and assist your leaders this year?
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374 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

Each of these questions is open-ended. This means that the possible responses are
unlimited and will be difficult to collate.
A more effective questionnaire follows.
1. In your opinion did the SRC achieve its goals last year? YES / NO / DON’T KNOW
2. On a scale of 1 (very unimportant) to 5 (very important) rate the following goals of
this year’s SRC.
(a) Improve sporting facilities for the school.
(b) Establish a senior study room.
(c) Have a separate canteen line for Year 7 students.
3. Rank the following fundraising projects from 1 to 4.
North Shore Children’s Hospital Appeal
Two new computers for the library for student Internet access
Replacement of worn sporting equipment
50 Graphics calculators for student use.
4. I am prepared to assist with ALL / SOME / A FEW / NONE of the SRC activities
over the next year.

These questions are much easier to collate and produce a snapshot of school opinion
about the SRC.
The results to a questionnaire can be tabulated using a database. Investigate how you
may be able to do this.

Sampling
Once the questionnaire has been finalised, the participants must be chosen. Data may be
collected from a variety of sources. Market research companies collect data for busi-
nesses to help them design products and services, advertise and sell them. Opinion polls
find out the views of the population on all sorts of issues. The Australian Bureau of Sta-
tistics is a government organisation that conducts a census every five years.
A census collects data from the entire target population.
A survey collects data from a representative sample of the population. It is
important for the sample to be unbiased (that is, not leaning towards one side of
an issue).
Random selection ensures all subjects have an equal chance of inclusion in the
sample.
Random sampling
Random samples may be obtained by:
1. using a computer program which selects randomly
2. using a table of random numbers (after assigning each person a number)
3. using a graphics calculator or spreadsheet to generate random numbers
4. drawing names out of a hat (What precautions would be necessary?)
5. using an alphabetical listing, selecting names at regular intervals.
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Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 375

To use your calculator to select a random sample, follow these steps.
1. Assign every member of the target population a number. (For this example, assume
that there are 500 people in the target group.)
2. Use the random number generator on your calculator to generate a random number
between 0 and 1; for example, 0.589.
3. Multiply this decimal by the number of members of the target group
(0.589 × 500 = 294.5).
4. Ignore any decimal. (The person numbered 294 is chosen.)
5. Repeat this until you have the number of participants required.

Generating random numbers

You can create a table of random numbers using either a spreadsheet or a graphics
calculator. Click on the link below when using the CD to see how to generate
random numbers on both a calculator and a spreadsheet.
Compare and discuss the results obtained using the two methods.

extension
extension — How to generate random numbers

Stratified sampling
When a population consists of identifiable groups or strata, such as different year levels
at a secondary school, each of the groups should receive fair representation in any
sample. Each group should make up the same proportion of the sample as it does of the
full population. This type of sampling is known as stratified sampling. Stratified
sampling ensures that no minority group could come to dominate a sample, yet it
would be assured of proportionate representation.

Classifying data
We saw in chapter 3 (page 78) that data that are collected should be classified by who-
ever is conducting the survey. First, data are classified as either categorical (non-
numeric) or quantitative (numeric). Then we classify categorical data as either nominal
or ordinal, and we classify quantitative data as either discrete or continuous. (See pages
77–80 for further explanation and examples.)

WORKED Example 1
There are 140 Year 9 and 190 Year 10 students at a school. A group of 8 is to be selected to
form a student council. Use stratified sampling to ensure fair representation for each year
level. How many from each level should be chosen?
THINK WRITE
1 Calculate the total population of Year 9 Total population = 140 + 190
and 10 students. = 330
Continued over page
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376 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

THINK WRITE
2 Calculate the number of students to be
selected from the Year 9 level.
iii Express each year level number as Year 9 proportion = 140
---------
330
a fraction of the total.
iii Multiply this fraction by the Number to be selected = 140
--------- × 8
330
number of students required for the = 3.393 939 39 . . .
council.
iii Round your answer to the nearest ≈3
whole number where necessary.
3 Repeat step 2 for the Year 10 level. Year 10 proportion = 190
---------
330
Number to be selected = 190
---------
330
×8
= 4.606 060 60 . . .
≈5
4 Check that the values obtained in steps 2 Total number of students required = 3 + 5
and 3 total to the number required. =8
5 Answer the question. The student council must consist of 3 Year 9
and 5 Year 10 students.

The actual participants from each year are then chosen randomly.
The correct choice of sample is important to avoid bias. Bias occurs when the group
chosen to participate in the sample is not representative of the entire population.

Bias
It is important that a sample is chosen randomly to avoid bias.
Consider the following situation.
The government wants to improve sporting facilities on the New South Wales
Central Coast. They decide to survey 1000 people about what facilities they
would like to see improved. To do this, they choose the first 1000 people
through the gate at a football match at Gosford Stadium.
In this situation it is likely that the results will be biased towards improving
facilities for football. It is also unlikely that the survey will be representative of
the whole population in terms of equality between men and women, age of the
participants and cultural backgrounds.
Questions can also create bias. Consider asking the question, ‘Is football your
favourite sport?’ The question invites the response that football is the favourite
sport rather than allowing a free choice from a variety of sports by the respondent.
Consider each of the following surveys and discuss:
a any advantages, disadvantages and possible causes of bias
b a way in which a truly representative sample could be obtained.
1 Surveying food product choices by interviewing customers of a large
supermarket chain as they emerge from the store between 9.00 am and 2.00 pm
on a Wednesday.
2 Researching the popularity of a government decision by stopping people at
random in a central city mall.
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Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 377

3 Using a telephone survey of 500 people selected at random from the phone
book to find if all Australian States should have Daylight Saving Time in
summer.
4 A bookseller uses a public library database to survey for the most popular
novels over the last three months.
5 An interview survey about violence in sport taken at a rugby league football
venue as spectators leave.

remember
remember
1. A questionnaire should be designed to keep responses simple and easy to
collate. It may need to be trialled and then modified before implementation.
2. A census collects data from the whole population while a sample is taken from
a group that is representative of the whole population.
3. A sample should be a random sample to avoid any bias. A stratified sample can
be used to ensure each group is proportionally represented.
4. If a sample is poorly chosen, the results may be biased.

Questionnaires and
10A sampling
1 Design a questionnaire for two of the following issues. For each questionnaire, classify 10.1
the data using two of these terms: quantitative, categorical, nominal, ordinal, discrete, HEET
SkillS

continuous.
a Are school uniforms needed?
b Are wages for teenage workers reasonable?
c More leisure activities are required for teenagers. HEET
10.2
SkillS

d There is too much violence in computer games, in movies and on television.

e There is a need for a new Australian flag.
f Compulsory military service should be introduced for 18-year-olds.
g Speed limits throughout Australia should be changed.
h Which radio stations throughout Australia are most popular?
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378 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

2 Use your calculator to choose 10 random numbers between 1 and 500.

WORKED 3 There are 80 boys and 100 girls in Year 8. A group of 12 is to be chosen to join the
Example
1
Student Representative Council (SRC). Use a stratified sample to state the number of
boys and girls that should be chosen to ensure fair representation of each sex.

10.3 4 The figures below show the number of students in each year at Melton High School.
HEET
SkillS

Year 7 — 140 Year 8 — 160 Year 9 — 150

Year 10 — 120 Year 11 — 85 Year 12 — 85
If 50 students are to be chosen to participate in a survey, use a stratified sample to state
the number that should be chosen for each year.
5 For each of the following, state whether a census or sample should be conducted.
Briefly explain your answer.
a To determine the number of cars a dealership sells over a year
b To determine the most popular brand of surfboard among school-age surfers
c To try and predict the outcome of a federal election
d To determine the winner of a federal election
e To determine the average mark among Year 8 students at Southdown High School
on their yearly mathematics exam
f To determine the average height of 15-year-old boys
6 In each of the following, briefly explain if the results of the survey may be subject to
any bias.
a A survey of the most popular Rugby League team is taken of 50 people in the main
street of Parramatta.
b To determine the music that should be played at a school dance, the DJ asks 10
boys from the same Year 11 class.
c To determine the percentage of students that come from a non-English speaking
background, a sample of 50 students is chosen from one particular high school.
d To determine the most popular radio station in Sydney, a person telephones 100
people randomly selected from the telephone book and asks what station they listen
to most often.
e To determine the most popular television station, an advertising company selects
100 people randomly from the telephone book and telephones them at 7.30 pm on
Monday to ask what they are watching at that time.

Mean
We collect data in order to find out what is going
on now in our area of interest. Then we can
interpret the results to make decisions and
predictions such as: Where should the new
school be built? What do we expect its
enrolment to be by 2010? When do most
teenagers watch television? What food
should be sold at the school canteen? If
sales continue to rise at this rate, what profits
can we expect next quarter?
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Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 379

Simple calculations based on collected data can help give us typical values, or values
which show how the data cluster. These typical values are commonly referred to as
averages. We will look at 3 different types of averages used in interpreting data: mean,
median and mode. The first is the mean.

The mean or average of a set of scores is the sum of all the scores divided by the
number of scores.

In statistics x represents each score while x– is the symbol for the mean. We can write
∑ x- . is the Greek letter sigma and means ‘sum of’. n is the number of scores.
x– = -------
n ∑

WORKED Example 2
Jan’s basketball scores were: 18, 24, 20, 22, 14, 12.
What was his mean score? Calculate your answer,
correct to 1 decimal place.

THINK WRITE
1 Calculate the total of the basketball ∑ x = 18 + 24 + 20 + 22 + 14 + 12
scores. = 110
2 Count the number of basketball scores. n=6
Σx
3 Define the rule for the mean. x– = ------
n
110
4 Substitute the known values into the x– = ---------
6
rule.
5 Evaluate, rounding to 1 decimal place. = 18.3

When the data are presented in the form of a frequency distribution table we need to
add an extra column to our frequency distribution table. To calculate the total of all
scores, we create a column called Frequency × Score ( f × x). By adding this column we
can calculate the total of all scores while adding the frequency column counts the
number of scores.
f ×x
We can then use the formula x– = ∑------------------ to calculate the mean.
∑f
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380 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

WORKED Example 3
Calculate the mean of the frequency distribution data given below.

Score (x) 1 2 3 4 5 6

Frequency (f ) 3 2 4 0 1 5

THINK WRITE

1 Rearrange the rows as columns and

Frequency ×
include an extra column headed:
Score Frequency score
Frequency × score ( f × x). (x) (f) ( f × x)
2 Enter the information into the third
column; that is: 1 3 3×1=3
Score of 1 occurred 3 times. Therefore, 2 2 2×2=4
f × x = 3 × 1 = 3.
Score of 2 occurred 2 times. Therefore, 3 4 4 × 3 = 12
f × x = 2 × 2 = 4.
Continue this process for each pair of 4 0 0×4=0
data. 5 1 1×5=5
3 Determine the total of the frequency
6 5 5 × 6 = 30
column. This shows how many scores
there are altogether. Total 15 54
4 Determine the total of the frequency ×
score column. This shows the overall
value of all the scores.
f ×x
5 Define the rule for the mean. x– = ∑
------------------
∑f
54
6 Substitute the known values into the x– = ------
15
rule.
7 Evaluate the answer to 1 decimal place. x– = 3.6
Note: The mean is often not one of the
given scores.

remember
remember
1. To determine the mean of values in a list, obtain the total of all the scores and
∑ x-
divide by the number of scores. x– = -------
n
2. To determine the mean of values in a table, add the ( f × x) column, and divide
f ×x
by the total of the frequency column (f ). x– = ∑
------------------
∑f
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Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 381

10B Mean
WORKED 1 Caroline’s basketball scores were: 28, 25, 29, 30, 27, 22. What was her mean score? 10.4
Example
Give the answer correct to 1 decimal place. HEET
2

SkillS
2 Find the mean (average) of each set of the following scores. Give the answers correct
to 2 decimal places.
a 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9
b 2, 7, 8, 10, 6, 9, 11, 4, 9 10.5
HEET
c 3, 27, 14, 0, 2, 104, 36, 19, 77, 81

SkillS
d 4, 8.4, 6.6, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 6.9
3 Francesca’s soccer team has a
goals record this season as
shown on the dotplot below. HEET
10.6

SkillS
0 1 2 3 4
a What total number of goals
ram
have they scored? prog

Casi
GC
b How many games have they

o
UV stats
played?
c Find the team’s average score.
rog
GC p ram
4 multiple choice

TI
UV stats
Frisco’s athletics coach timed 5 consecutive 200 m training runs. He recorded times
of 25.1, 23.9, 24.8, 24.5 and 27.3 seconds. His mean 200 m time (in seconds) is:
A 24.60 B 25.20 C 25.12 D 25.42 Math

cad
5 An Olympic figure skater was given these scores by the panel of judges: Mean
4.8, 4.6, 4.5, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 4.2, 4.0, 4.8.
If the highest and lowest scores are omitted, what is the average (mean) of the
remaining scores?
6 Two Year 8 groups did the same mathematics test. Their results out of 10 were:
Group A: 5, 8, 7, 9, 6, 7, 8, 5, 4, 2.
Group B: 5, 6, 4, 5, 9, 7, 8, 8, 9, 7.
a Which group had the higher mean?
b Compare the spread of the marks for the groups.
7 A third Year 8 group had the following results in the same test as in question 6:
5, 7, 8, 4, 6, 8, 5, 9, 8.
a What is the average score of this group?
b What must a tenth student (who was originally absent) score to bring this group’s
average to 7?
c What is the most common score for the original group of 9?
d If the scores of the original group of 9 students were rearranged in ascending
order, what would be the middle score?
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382 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

WORKED 8 Calculate the mean of this frequency distribution.

Spreadshe Example
EXCEL

et

3 Score (x) 1 2 3 4 5
Mean from
a frequency Frequency (f ) 4 3 2 1 0
table

Spreadshe 9 Calculate the mean of this frequency distribution.

EXCEL

et

Mean from Score (x) 6 7 8 9 10

a frequency
table (DIY) Frequency (f ) 2 8 3 4 2

10 Which are the most common scores in: i question 8? ii question 9?

10.7 11 A survey of the number of occupants in each house in

HEET a street gave the following data:
SkillS

2, 5, 1, 6, 2, 3, 2, 4, 1, 2, 0, 2, 3, 2, 4, 5, 4, 2, 3, 4.
Prepare a frequency distribution table with an f × x
column and use it to find the average number of
people per household.

12 The number of children in each family in a suburban

street was as shown:
0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 1, 2, 0, 4, 0, 2, 1.
a Compile a frequency distribution table of the data.
b Find:
i the mean of the distribution
ii the most common number of children.
c How many children (in total) would you expect
there to be in 1000 families in similar locations?

13 These scores show the number of people in each apartment in a block of flats. Use a
frequency table to calculate the mean number of people per unit, correct to 1 decimal
place.
1, 3, 2, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5, 3, 2, 4, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2.

14 The table shows the number of tries converted in football matches over a particular
period.

Score (x) 0 1 2 3 4 5
Frequency (f ) 3 5 9 6 4 1

a Calculate the average (mean) number of tries converted, correct to the nearest
tenth.
b What was the most common number of tries converted?
c How many tries would you expect to be converted in the next game? Explain.
15 The mean of 10 scores is 8. What is the total of all the scores?
16 The mean of 5 scores is 7.2.
a What is the sum of the scores?
b If four of the scores are 9, 8, 7 and 5, what is the fifth?
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Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 383

17 The stem-and-leaf plot below shows the number of points scored by a team in 10 10.8
games of Rugby League. HEET

SkillS
Key: 2 4 = 24 points
Stem Leaf
0 8
1 02488
2 666
3 4
Find the mean number of points scored per game.
18 The stem-and-leaf plot below shows the time taken for a group of athletes to run 100
metres.
Key: 11 4 = 11.4 seconds
Stem Leaf
9 89
10 0 1 3 3 5 7 7 7
11 1 1 5 9
12 2
Find the mean time taken for this group of athletes to run 100 metres.
19 Terry sits for four exams through the year and has a mean mark of 75%. When Terry
sits his fifth exam he achieves a mark of 85%. What is the mean of Terry’s five marks?
20 A team of 5 basketball players has a mean height of 1.82 metres. If a player who is
1.9 metres tall is replaced by a player who is 1.8 metres tall, what is the new mean
height of the team?
21 In three Maths exams, Jacqueline
has a mean mark of 70%.
Jacqueline needs a mean mark of
75% over four exams to be
accepted into the armed forces.
What mark must Jacqueline get in
the fourth exam to lift her mean
mark to 75%?

GAME
time

Data
analysis
and
evaluation
— 001

SHE
ET 10.1
Work
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384 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

Graphics Calculator tip! Finding the mean

TE
We will look at using the graphics calculator to find the mean of a list of scores and the
mean of a data set presented in a frequency distribution table.
XAS
INSTRU

Finding
EN For scores presented in a list
M

TS the mean
Find the mean of the scores 8, 9, 4, 5, 7, 5, 8, 5.
1. From the MAIN MENU select the STAT option.
2. Enter the scores into List 1.
3. Press F2 (CALC) then F6 (SET). Enter the following
settings by:
• highlighting 1Var Xlist and pressing F1 (List 1)
• highlighting 1Var Freq and pressing F1 (1).
It does not matter what the settings are for 2Var settings.
Press EXE to return to the list screen.
4. Press F1 (1Var) to display the summary statistics.
The first figure displayed is the mean.

For scores presented in a frequency distribution table

Find the mean of the scores presented in the frequency distribution table below.

Score Frequency
15 5
16 8
17 19
18 12
19 14
20 2
1. From the MAIN MENU select the STAT option.
2. Enter the scores in List 1 and the frequencies in List 2.
3. Press F2 (CALC) then F6 (SET). Enter the following
settings by:
• highlighting 1Var Xlist and pressing F1 (List 1)
• highlighting 1Var Freq and pressing F3 (List 2).
It does not matter what the settings are for 2Var settings.
Press EXE to return to the list screen.

4. Press F1 (1Var) to display the summary statistics.

The first figure shown is the mean.
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Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 385

1
1 Use your calculator to generate 5 random numbers between 1 and 200.

2 A class of 30 students has 18 boys and 12 girls. If 5 are selected to participate in a

survey, how many of each should be chosen in a stratified sample?

3 Fiona wants to determine the most popular song among Year 8 students at her school.
Should she do this by census or by sample?

4 To determine the most popular make of car, William surveys the number of cars that
pass by his school in one hour. Explain why William’s results may be biased.

5 Find the mean of the scores 43, 56, 12, 83 and 124.

6 The results out of 10 on a spelling test

taken by 10 boys are shown on the
dotplot at right. Find the mean of this 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
data set.

7 On the same spelling test the results of

10 girls are shown by the dotplot at
right. Find the mean of this data set. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8 Who has the best results on the spelling test, the boys or the girls? Explain your
answer.

9 Find the mean of the data presented in the stem-and-leaf plot below.
Key: 2 3 = 23
Stem Leaf
1 9
2 013359
3 00158

10 Find the mean of the data set shown in the frequency distribution table below.

Score 16 17 18 19 20

Frequency 2 6 15 8 9
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386 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

Median, mode and range

Median
The median is the middle score for an odd number of scores and the average of the
two middle scores for an even number of scores.
To obtain the median, the scores must be arranged in numerical order.

WORKED Example 4
Find the median of the scores:
a 10, 8, 11, 5, 17 b 9, 3, 2, 6, 3, 5, 9, 8.
THINK WRITE

a 1 Arrange the values in ascending order. a 5, 8, 10 , 11, 17

2 Select the middle value.

Note: There are an odd number of scores;
that is, 5. Hence, the third value is the
middle number or median.

3 Answer the question. The median of the scores is 10.

b 1 Arrange the values in ascending order. b 2, 3, 3, 5 , 6 , 8, 9, 9

2 Select the middle value/s.

Note: There are an even number of
scores; that is, 8. Hence, the fourth and
fifth values are the middle numbers, or
median.

5+6
3 Obtain the average of the two middle Median = ------------
2
values.
11
= ------
2
= 5 1--2- (or 5.5)

4 Answer the question. The median of the score is 5 1--2- or 5.5.

When determining the median, recall:

1. There are as many scores above the median as there are below it.
2. For an even number of scores, the median may not be one of the listed scores.
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 387 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 387

WORKED Example 5
Find the median of the data presented in the following stem-and-leaf plots.
a Key: 14 5 = 145 b Key: 25 3 = 253
Stem Leaf Stem Leaf
14 2788 21 306
15 24 22 432497
16 1399 23 9315
17 022266 24 262067
18 5 25 57
26 47311

THINK WRITE

a 1 Check that the given stem-and-leaf a The stem-and-leaf plot is ordered.

plot is ordered.
2 Count the pieces of data and There are 17 pieces of data. Therefore, the
determine the middle value/s. middle value is the ninth term.
3 Answer the question. The median is 169.

b 1 Check if the stem-and-leaf plot is b The stem-and-leaf plot is not ordered.

ordered. It is not.
2 Order the stem-and-leaf plot. Key: 25 3 = 253
Stem Leaf
21 0 3 6
22 2 3 4 4 7 9
23 1 3 5 9
24 0 2 2 6 6 7
25 5 7
26 1 1 3 4 7
3 Count the pieces of data and There are 26 pieces of data. Therefore, the
determine the middle value/s. two middle values are the thirteenth and
fourteenth terms.
239 + 240
4 Add the two middle terms and divide Median = ------------------------
2
by 2; that is, obtain the average.
479
= ---------
2
= 239.5
5 Answer the question. The median is 239.5.

When the data are presented in a frequency distribution table we need to add yet
another column to help us determine the median. The cumulative frequency column is
a progressive total of the frequencies and serves the purpose of placing the scores in
order for us.
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388 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

Consider the frequency

distribution table at right. Cumulative
Score Frequency frequency
The cumulative frequency tells us
that the first five scores are all 15. 15 5 5
The sixth score to the thirteenth score
are 16, the fourteenth score to the 16 8 13
thirty-second score are 17 and so on. 17 19 32
There are 60 scores in the data set
(an even number) so the two scores in 18 12 44
the middle will be the thirtieth and
19 14 58
the thirty-first scores. Both of these
scores are 17 and so this is the 20 2 60
median.

WORKED Example 6
For the frequency distribution table at right,
find the median. x 1 2 3 4 5

f 4 12 16 42 6

THINK WRITE
1 Copy the table and add a cumulative
frequency column. Cumulative
Score Frequency frequency

1 4 4

2 12 16

3 16 32

4 42 74

5 6 80

2 There are 80 scores (an even Median is the average of the fortieth and forty-first
number) so the two scores in the scores.
middle will be the fortieth and the
forty-first.

3 Look down the cumulative 4+4

Median = ------------
frequency column. The thirty-second 2
score is 3, while the thirty-third to Median = 4
the seventy-fourth scores are 4.
Therefore, both the required scores
are 4 and this becomes the median.
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 389 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 389

Mode

The mode is the most common score in a set of data.

It is the score with the highest frequency.
It measures clustering of scores.

Some sets of scores have more than one mode, or no mode at all; that is, there is no
score which corresponds to the highest frequency, as all values occurred once only.

WORKED Example 7
Find the mode of the following scores:
a 5, 7, 9, 8, 5, 8, 5, 6 b 10, 8, 11, 5, 17 c 9, 3, 2, 6, 3, 5, 9, 8.

THINK WRITE

a 1 Look at the set of data and circle any a 5 , 7, 9, 8 , 5 , 8 , 5 , 6

values that have been repeated.
2 Choose the value(s) which have been The number 5 occurs 3 times.
repeated the most.
3 Answer the question. The mode for the given set of values is 5.

b 1 Look at the set of data and circle any b 10, 8, 11, 5, 17

values that have been repeated. No values have been repeated.
2 Answer the question. The following set of data has no mode, since
Note: No mode is not the same as none of the scores correspond to a highest
having a mode which equals 0. frequency. Each of the numbers occur only
once.

c 1 Look at the set of data and circle any c 9 , 3 , 2, 6, 3 , 5, 9 , 8

values that have been repeated.
2 Choose the value(s) which have been The number 3 occurs twice. The number 9
repeated the most. occurs twice.
3 Answer the question. The modes for the given set of values are 3
and 9.

Range
In analysing a set of scores, it is helpful to see not only how the scores tend to cluster,
or how the middle of the set looks, but also how they spread or scatter. Two classes may
have the same average mark, but the spread of scores may differ considerably.

The range of a set of scores is the difference between the highest and lowest scores.
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390 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

WORKED Example 8
Find the range of the following sets of data.
a 7, 3, 5, 2, 1, 6, 9, 8.

b x 7 8 9 10
f 1 3 5 2

THINK WRITE
a 1 Obtain the highest and lowest a Highest value = 9
values. Lowest value = 1
2 Define the range. Range = highest value − lowest value

3 Substitute the known values into the =9−1

rule.
4 Evaluate. =8
5 Answer the question. The set of values has a range of 8.

b 1 Obtain the highest and lowest b Highest value = 10

values. Lowest value = 7
Note: Consider the values only, not
the frequencies.
2 Define the range. Range = highest value − lowest value
3 Substitute the known values into the = 10 − 7
rule.
4 Evaluate. =3
5 Answer the question. The frequency distribution table data have a
range of 3.

Graphics Calculator tip! Finding the median,

mode and range

TE
Data are entered into the STAT function as shown in the previous section on finding the
mean (see page 384). When the summary statistics are displayed we can scroll down to
XAS
INSTRU

EN
Finding the see the median and the mode displayed.
M

TS median, mode
and range

Note that when we have more than one mode, the value of the highest mode is dis-
played. If there is no mode, the highest score in the data set is displayed as the mode.
We therefore need to check answers for the mode manually. The range can be
calculated by viewing the values for minX (the lowest value) and maxX (the highest
value).
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 391 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 391

remember
remember
1. The median is the middle score for an odd number of scores and the average
of the two middle scores for an even number of scores that are arranged in
numerical order. There are as many scores above the median as there are
below it.
2. To help determine the median, a cumulative frequency column is added to the
frequency distribution table. This gives a progressive total of frequencies and
places the scores in order.
3. The mode is the most common score.
4. The range is the difference between the highest and lowest scores.

10C HEET
10.9
Median, mode and range

SkillS
WORKED 1 Find the median of the following scores: L Spread
Example XCE
a 5, 5, 7, 12, 13 b 28, 13, 17, 21, 18, 17, 14.

sheet
E
4a
Median
WORKED 2 Find the median of the following scores:
Example
4b
a 2, 52, 46, 52, 48, 52, 48 b 4, 1.5, 1.7, 2.0, 1.8, 1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9.
WORKED 3 Find the median of the data presented in the following stem-and-leaf plots. XCE
L Spread
Example

sheet
E
5 a Key: 1 5 = 15 b Key: 24 7 = 247 c Key: 17 4 = 174
Median
Stem Leaf Stem Leaf Stem Leaf (DIY)
1 12789 24 27 15 624
2 28 25 24668 16 86139 L Spread
XCE

sheet
E
3 1379 26 01359 17 02186734
4 0126 28 5668 18 415271 Mode

4 Find the median of the data shown in the dotplot at right.

0 1 2 3 4 5
WORKED 5 Find the median of the following sets of data. Math
Example
6 cad
a x 6 7 8 9 10 b x 1 2 3 4 5 6 Median,
mode
f 1 5 10 7 3 f 7 9 6 8 10 10 and
range
6 Find: i the mode and ii the mean for each set of data in question 5.
WORKED
Example 7 For each set of scores in questions 1 and 2, find the mode. L Spread
XCE
sheet

7
E

Mode
WORKED 8 For each of the scores in questions 1 and 2, find the range. (DIY)
Example
8a

WORKED 9 For each of the sets of data in question 5, find the range.
Example
8b
 MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 392 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

392 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

10 The canteen recorded the number of 24-can cartons of soft drink sold in a week:
ogram Ca
46, 28, 25, 32, 28, 36, 40, 34, 37, 39, 40, 28.
GC pr

sio

UV stats a Find the median number of cartons sold.

b Find the mode.
c Which of the two averages better shows the typical weekly sales?
am
rogr TI d Find the range.
GC p

UV stats
Questions 11 and 12 refer to the following set of scores:
1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 3, 3, 7, 6, 5, 4, 6, 2, 1, 8.
11 multiple choice
The median of the given scores is:
A 4.5 B 4 C 5 D 8
12 multiple choice
The mode of the given scores is:
A 5 B 4 C 3 D 1
13 Over 10 matches, a Rugby League team scored the number of
tries shown in the dotplot.

0 1 2 3 4 5
a What was the most common number of tries scored?
b What was the median number of tries scored?
c In this case, does the mode or the median give a
score that shows a typical performance?
14 Here are Greg Norman’s scores (numbers of strokes) hole
by hole for the first 9 holes of a major golf tournament.
Hole number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Score 4 4 3 2 4 3 3 2 4
a How many strokes were most commonly hit?
b What was his median score?
c As Norman prepares to tee off towards the next hole, how many strokes could the
crowd expect him to take to complete the hole? Discuss factors which could
influence the outcome.
15 A small business pays the following annual wages (in thousands of dollars) to its
employees: 18, 18, 18, 18, 26, 26, 26, 40, 80.
a What is the mode of the distribution?
b What is the median wage?
c Which measure would you expect the employee’s union to use in wage negotiations?
d Which might the boss use in such negotiations?
e Find the mean.
16 The clothing sizes for a group of students were:
Size 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Number of students 1 3 4 2 1 0 0
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 393 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 393

a What was the most common size? b Find the median size.
c If you were the stock controller of a clothing store, which size would you order
most of?
E GAM
17 The following data represent the mathematics exam results (as percentages) for 28

time
Year 8 students: Data analysis
65, 70, 67, 82, 71, 25, 83, 78, 58, 72, 94, 66, 86, 73 and evaluation
71, 31, 71, 87, 65, 76, 86, 66, 98, 74, 84, 96, 100, 73. — 002
a Present the data as an ordered stem-and-leaf plot.
SHE 10.2
ET
b Find the median result. c Find the mode.

Work
d Find the range.
e Comment on the results obtained by the class.

What is the difference?

Mean, median and mode are all types of averages.
1 Provide two examples of situations where each type of average is the best one
to use.
2 At times, these measures are used to mislead people. Describe some situations
where this may occur.
3 Write a paragraph to describe the difference between the three types of average.

2
For questions 1 to 3, consider the data set: 10, 12, 15, 9, 16, 14, 17, 19, 10, 14.
1 Find the mean. 2 Find the median. 3 Find the mode.
For questions 4 to 6, consider the data set
shown in the dotplot.
4 6 8 10 12 14 16
4 Find the mean. 5 Find the median. 6 Find the mode.
For questions 7 to 10, consider the frequency distribution table below.
Cumulative
Score (x) Frequency (f) f×x frequency
16 5
17 8
18 12
19 13
20 7
∑f = ∑f ×x =
7 Copy and complete the table. 8 Find the mean.
9 Find the median. 10 Find the mode.
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 394 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

394 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

Two important
important inv
inventions of 1862
1862
Calculate
the mean, median
24 14 16 13 11 3 15 and mode for each set
of data to find the
puzzle’s code.
5 16 13 22 4 12 8

18 23 8 23 7 14 16 23 12

12 11 18 25 13 10 6 4 9 12
16 12 19 12 27 6 10 5 6 7
26 11 14 13 16 11 12 6
20 17 15 16 12
11 E = mean = H = mode =

A = mean = D = mode = G = median =

C = median = Age of university students (yrs)

Age Frequency
14 14 14 22 22
17 1
15 15 21 21 16 18 1
19 0
20 20 18 19 19 20 1
21 0
22 1
23 3
24 4
I = mean = L = mode = M = mean = P = mode =
K = median = N = median =

9 11 17 25 2 10 3 5 2
2 20 21 20 1 3 4 5 12
2 9 10 25 21 3 5 3

S = mean = U = mode = W = mean = I = mode =

T = median = A = median =

11 6 8 22 3 14 19 18 23 7

22 4 15 6 18 23 8 5 16 13

12 8 13 3 7 23 8 12 18 23 2 13 4
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 395 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 395

Analysing data
To understand what information the data give, and perhaps to draw conclusions from it,
we must appreciate what each statistical measure does.

Statistical measures

Mode Median Mean Range

The most common The score in the Uses all the scores Highest score
value or category. exact middle of as a total, divided minus the lowest
Tells us nothing the values placed by the number of score. Shows how
about the rest of in numerical order. scores. far the scores are
the data. Tells us nothing Affected by spread apart.
Data may have no about other values. exceptionally large Particularly useful
mode, one or more It is unaffected by or small scores. when combined
than one mode. exceptionally large with mean or
or small scores. median.

WORKED Example 9
Explain which statistical measure is referred to in these statements.
a The majority of people surveyed prefer Activ-8 sports drink.
b The ages of fans at the Rolling Stones concert varied from 8 to 80.
c The average Australian family has 2.1 children.
THINK WRITE
a 1 Write down the statement and a The majority of people surveyed prefer
highlight the key word(s). Activ-8 sports drink.
2 Relate the highlighted word to one Majority implies most, which refers to the
of the statistical measures. mode.
3 Answer the question. This statement refers to the mode.

b 1 Write down the statement and b The ages of fans at the Rolling Stones
highlight the key word(s). concert varied from 8 to 80.
2 Relate the highlighted word to one The statement refers to the range of fans’
of the statistical measures. ages at the concert.
3 Answer the question. This statement refers to the range.

c 1 Write down the statement and c The average Australian family has 2.1
highlight the key word(s). children.
2 Relate the highlighted word to one The statement deals with surveying the
of the statistical measures. population and finding out how many
children are in each family.
3 Answer the question. This statement refers to the mean.
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396 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

WORKED Example 10
Elio’s batting scores in last year’s cricket series were 65, 30, 0, 0, 0, and 80; while
Gaetano’s scores were 0, 30, 30, 80, 25 and 20 in the same matches.
a Calculate the mean score for each player.
b Calculate the median score for each player.
c Which of the mean and median is the better measure of each player’s ability?

THINK WRITE

a 1
∑ x- to find
Use the formula x– = ------- a For Elio: ∑ x-
x– = -------
n n
Elio’s mean score. 65 + 30 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 80
= -----------------------------------------------------------
6
175
= ---------
6
= 29.2

2
∑ x- to find
Use the formula x– = ------- ∑ x-
For Gaetano: x– = -------
n n
Gaetano’s mean score. 0 + 30 + 30 + 80 + 25 + 20
= -----------------------------------------------------------------
6
185
= ---------
6
= 30.8

b 1 List Elio’s scores in order. b Elio’s scores: 0, 0, 0, 30, 65, 80

0 + 30
2 Find Elio’s median by averaging Elio’s median = ---------------
2
the third and fourth scores.
30
= ------
2
= 15
3 Place Gaetano’s scores in order. Gaetano’s scores: 0, 20, 25, 30, 30, 80
25 + 30
4 Find Gaetano’s median by Gaetano’s median = ------------------
2
averaging the third and fourth
scores. 55
= ------
2
= 27.5

c Look at the mean and median and c Elio’s median is low because of three zeros.
decide which is the better measure of The mean is lifted by some big scores and so in
the player’s ability. his case the mean is the best measure of his
ability. Gaetano’s mean and median are close
because Gaetano is a more consistent player
and so there is little difference between the two.
Overall the mean is the better measure.
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 397 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 397

remember
remember
This is a summary of what each statistical measure does.
Mean: Uses all the scores as a total, divided by the number of scores.
Median: The score in the exact middle of values placed in numerical order.
Mode: The most common value or category.
Range: Highest score minus the lowest score.

10D Analysing data

WORKED 1 Explain which statistical measure is referred to in these statements. Math
Example
a There was a 15° temperature variation during the day.

cad
9
b Children at this school are absent 3.4 days per semester, on average. Summary
c Most often you have to pay $79.95 for those sports shoes. statistics
d The average Australian worker earns about $470 per week.
e A middle-income family earns about $35 000 per annum.
ram
prog

Casi
GC
2 Frank scored 5, 7, 6, 8, 7 in a

o
WORKED
Example UV stats
10
series of spelling tests, while
Erica scored 8, 8, 6, 1, 9 in
the same tests.
a Calculate the mean for rog
GC p ram
each.

TI
b Find the median for each. UV stats
c Which is the better
measure of their abilities?

3 The following scores were

made by four teams in sports
matches.
Jackals: 4, 0, 5, 9, 4, 8
Panthers: 7, 10, 10, 11, 10, 9
Wallabies: 2, 15, 1, 17, 10, 3
Tigers: 9, 10, 20, 25, 0, 14
a Which team has the highest mean?
b Which team shows the greatest range of scores?
c Compare modal scores for Jackals and Panthers.
d Find the median score for each team.

4 End of semester tests produced the following results in mathematics for a class:
Rating A B C D E
Number of students 3 8 10 5 2
a What is the mode? b What is the median rating?
c Is it possible to calculate the mean?
 MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 398 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

398 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

5 Jennifer’s batting scores in indoor cricket were: 28, 35, 31, 29, 37, 30, 34, 40, 28, 33.
a Find the mean, median and modal scores.
b Which of the three measures in a would selectors use to evaluate her performance?
Why?
c If you were Jennifer, would you use the mode to describe your record to others?
Explain your reasoning.

6 Here are Mark’s scores in the same matches as Jennifer in question 5:

57, 14, 68, 0, 22, 80, 9, 49, 16, 62.
a Find the range, mean, median and mode.
b Compare each measure with Jennifer’s from question 5.
c If you were the team selector, whom would you choose? Give reasons.
d Which measure would Mark use in talking about his performance? Explain.

7 The table below shows the number of questions solved by each student on a test and the
corresponding total score on that test.

No. of questions 2 4 7 10 5 2 6 5 8 4 8
Total score 22 39 69 100 56 18 60 46 77 45 84

We can draw a graph of this information using

what we call a scatterplot, as shown at right. 100
Use the information to try and predict the total 90
score of a person who solved: 80
70
a 1 question b 3 questions
Total scores

60
c 9 questions.
50
40
30
SHE
ET 10.3 20
Work

10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Number of questions

QUEST
S
M AT H

GE

1 Find five numbers that have a mean of 10 and a median of 12.

EN

2 The mean of 5 different test scores is 15. What are the largest and
CH L smallest possible test scores, given that the median is 12? All test scores
AL are whole numbers.
3 The mean of 5 different test scores is 10. What are the largest and smallest
possible values for the median? All test scores are whole numbers.
4 The mean of 9 different test scores that are whole numbers and range
from 0 to 100 is 85. The median is 80. What is the greatest possible range
between the highest and lowest possible test scores?
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 399 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 399

Netball selection
At the beginning of this chapter we met Lorenzo and Aziz who were vying for
selection in a representative netball team. Lorenzo’s goal shooting percentages in
5 matches were 80%, 90%, 85%, 75% and 80%. Aziz’s percentages were 85%,
95%, 50%, 90% and 85%.

1 For each player, find the mean success rate.

2 For each player, find the median success rate.

3 Which of the mean or median is a better measure of who is the better goal
shooter? Would this always be the case?

4 Which player would you select in the representative team? Explain your choice.

5 Consider now the player who you would not have selected in the representative
team. Assume this player has come to you to ask why he was not selected.
Demonstrate to him a minimum set of figures that he would have to achieve
next time if he were to be selected.

Academy Award winners

The data below list the ages of
Academy Award winners over a
twenty-year period from 1976–95.
Best male actor (age): 60, 30, 40,
42, 37, 76, 39, 52, 45, 35, 61, 43,
51, 32, 42, 54, 52, 37, 38, 30.
Best female actor (age): 35, 31,
41, 33, 31, 72, 33, 49, 38, 76, 21,
41, 26, 80, 42, 29, 33, 34, 45, 49.
1 Prepare an ordered stem-and-
leaf plot for each set of data.
What do the shapes of the
stem-and-leaf plots tell you
about the ages of female award
winners and male award
winners?
2 Find the mean, median and
mode for each set of data.
Which average best represents
each data set? Explain.
3 Jessica Tandy was 80 years old when she received the Academy Award for best
female actor. Is this unusual? Explain your answer.
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400 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

Obtaining your own data

Data for statistical analysis can be gathered from internal or external sources. Data
that we gather ourselves are said to be from an internal source. For example, if we
want to measure the traffic that passes our house each day, we would gather the
information ourselves.

Task 1
1 Survey the members of your class to find out the methods that students use to
travel to school.
2 Can you use the results for your own class to predict the number of students in
your whole school that use each method of travelling to school?
3 Select a class from another year level and survey its students to find the
methods they use to get to school.
4 Find the percentages of students in your class and the percentages in the class
from the other year level that use each method. Are the results similar? Suggest
some possible reasons for the differences. If a third class was surveyed, would
you expect similar or different results?
5 Repeat the survey using a sample from across the whole school population.
6 Enter your data into a spreadsheet and graph your results.
7 Estimate the number of students in the whole school that use each of the
methods of transport.
In many cases, we do not need to gather information ourselves as there is a source
from which we can obtain it. This is known as using an external source. For
example, if we want to research weather patterns in our local area we could obtain
the data we need from the Weather Bureau.
Task 2
1 Visit the website of the Australian Bureau of Statistics at
www.statistics.gov.au. Choose a topic of interest to you, access some
information on the topic and print out the information.
2 Do the data include the mean, median or mode? If not, are you able to calculate
these from the data? If all three are presented, which gives the best measure of
central tendency? If all three have not been given, explain why you think a
particular measure has been omitted.
3 Have the data been collected using a sample or census?
4 Write a report on your findings.
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 401 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 401

summary
Copy the sentences below. Fill in the gaps by choosing the correct word or
expression from the word list that follows.

1 When designing a we need to keep questions simple so that

the results are easy to collate.

2 Data can be collected by either a:

a where data are collected from the entire target population
b where data are collected from a portion of the target
population.

3 There are two types of sample that can be taken:

a sample ensures that each member of the target popu-
lation has an equal chance of inclusion in the sample.
b sample ensures that each group in the target population is
proportionally represented.

4 occurs when a sample is chosen that favours one outcome or

one section of the target population.

5 The is calculated by finding the total of all scores and dividing

by the number of scores. For a small list of scores we use the formula
and when data are presented in a frequency distribution
table we use the formula .

6 The is the middle score if there is an odd number of scores in

the data set and the average of the two middle scores if there is an even
number of scores in the data set.

7 When data are presented in a frequency distribution table we need to add

a column to the table to help us find the median.

8 The is the score that occurs most often in a data set.

9 The is defined as the highest score minus the lowest score

and gives an overall impression of how scores tend to .

WORD LIST
f×x
x– = ∑ ∑ x-
cumulative random median
---------------- x– = -------
frequency ∑f questionnaire n stratified
mean sample mode census bias
spread range
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402 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

CHAPTER
review
1 Use your calculator to generate five random numbers between 1 and 100.
10A
2 At an international boy scout jamboree, there are 1000 boys from the following countries:
10A Australia — 400 New Zealand — 150 USA — 100
Great Britain — 200 Canada — 75 Others — 75
A group of 80 are chosen to attend a youth conference. Use a stratified sample to state how
many boys from each country should be chosen.

3 For each of the following, state whether a census or a sample should be used.
10A a To determine the average price of 4-bedroom homes for sale in a small country town.
b To determine the average number of attempts that it takes for a person to get their
driver’s licence.
c To determine who will be the school captain at your school next year.
d To determine the most popular pop group among 14-year-old people.

4 Find the mean of each of the following data.

10B a 4, 5, 2, 5, 6, 2
b 48, 29, 93, 64, 21, 30, 26, 3, 42, 185
c 1.3, 1.6, 1.6, 1.7, 1.2, 1.8, 2.0. 0.9, 1.1
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 403 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

Chapter 10 Data analysis and evaluation 403

5 The marks of 10 students on an examination Key: 5 7 = 57
are shown in the stem-and-leaf plot at right. Stem Leaf
10B
What is the mean examination mark for these
5 7
students?
6 0288
7 8
8 139
9 5

6 Copy and complete the frequency distribution table below then use it to find the mean of the
distribution. 10B
Score (x) Frequency ( f) f×x

6 5

7 19

8 24

9 16

10 16

∑f = ∑f ×x =

7 Find the median of each of the following data sets.

a 5, 8, 12, 13, 15
10C
b 16, 45, 72, 84, 21, 55
c 10.3, 10.8, 10.5, 10.0, 10.9, 11.0

8 Find the median of the data presented in the stem-and-leaf plots below.
a b
10B
10C
Key: 7 2 = 72 Key: 1 2 = 12
Stem Leaf Stem Leaf
6 0169 0 999
7 227 1 2346667
8 456667 2 003699
9 02

9 The dotplot drawn at right shows the number of cars garaged

at each house in Sapphire Close. 10C
Find the mean, median and mode number of cars garaged 0 1 2 3 4 5
in this street each night.

10 a Determine the mode of the following values: 3, 2, 6, 5, 9, 8, 1, 7. Explain your answer.

b Determine the median of the following values: 10, 6, 1, 9, 8, 5, 17, 3.
10C
c Calculate the range of the following values: 1, 6, 15, 7, 21, 8, 41, 7.
MQ8 NSW - Chapter 10 Page 404 Friday, June 27, 2003 2:07 PM

404 M a t h s Q u e s t 8 fo r N ew S o u t h Wa l e s

11 A frozen goods section manager recorded the following sales of chickens by size during a
10D sample week:
16, 14, 13, 12, 15, 14, 13, 11, 12, 14,
14, 16, 15, 13, 11, 12, 14, 13, 15, 17,
13, 12, 14, 16, 13, 11, 15, 14, 12, 11,
15, 12, 13, 12, 12, 15, 13, 11, 11, 13,
16, 13, 12, 15, 17, 13, 14, 16, 12, 15.
a Construct a frequency distribution table showing x, f, and f × x columns. You may
include a tally column if you wish.
b Draw a histogram to display the data.
c Identify the mode of the distribution.
d Calculate the mean and median sizes of the chickens sold.
e Of which size should the manager order most? Explain.
f What is the range of sizes?
g What percentage of total sales are in the size 12 to 14 group?
h Is the mean a useful measure to the manager? Explain.

Non-calculator questions
12 multiple choice
The mean of five scores is 14. A sixth score of 20 is added to the data set. The mean of the
six scores is:
A 15 B 16 C 17 D 18

13 multiple choice
A Rugby League team has a mean weight of 95 kg and a median weight of 90 kg. A 100 kg
forward is replaced with a 110 kg forward. Which of the following is correct?
A The mean weight will increase.
B The mean weight will decrease.
C The median weight will increase.
D The median weight will decrease.

14 multiple choice
Note: There may be more than one correct answer.
For the data set 3, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 9:
A the median of the data set is 6.5
B the mode of the data set is 6.5
C the median of the data set is 6 and 7
D the mode of the data set is 6 and 7.
15 For the data set 12, 13, 14, 14, 20 state:
a the mean
b the median
c the mode.

test 16 The values of 5 houses in a cul-de-sac are given below.

yourself $250 000 $225 000 $950 000 $300 000 $450 000
CHAPTER

10 Which of the mean or median is a better measure of the typical house price in this street?
Explain your answer.