{"id":208,"date":"2022-06-16T17:06:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T17:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=208"},"modified":"2022-06-16T17:20:03","modified_gmt":"2022-06-16T17:20:03","slug":"datasets-and-statistical-questions-background-youll-need-1","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/chapter\/datasets-and-statistical-questions-background-youll-need-1\/","title":{"raw":"Datasets and Statistical Questions: Background You'll Need 1","rendered":"Datasets and Statistical Questions: Background You&#8217;ll Need 1"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Goals<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Identify questions that don't have exact answers.&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:769,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;11&quot;:4,&quot;12&quot;:0}\">Distinguish between questions that have exact answers and those that don't.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li>Identify questions that anticipate variability.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nIn the <em>What to Know<\/em> assignment and in the following <em>Forming Connections<\/em>, you will need to understand some key vocabulary terms and associated ideas. In particular, you will need to distinguish between questions that have exact answers and those that don\u2019t, and you will need to know when a question anticipates variability in the data.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-1065 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5738\/2022\/01\/11233048\/Picture66-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A man using his phone while driving\" width=\"449\" height=\"299\" \/>\r\n<h2>Driving Variation<\/h2>\r\nIn the next in-class activity, we will be working on writing good statistical questions, and we will be considering statistical questions in the context of drivers in the United States. In this setting, you'll encounter some questions about driving in the U.S. for which you'll need to identify whether the question has an exact answer or one that could vary from person to person asked. As you work through the activity, give yourself a good opportunity to learn how to tell if a question anticipates a variety of answers by carefully reading the text and examples, then answering the questions in pairs or small groups.\r\n<h3>Statistical Questions<\/h3>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\nTwo key qualities of a good statistical question are:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">There is not an exact answer.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The question anticipates variability.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nWhen a question has an <strong>exact<\/strong> answer, it means that there is one specific answer to the question and only one clear way in which the question can be answered. This answer could be a number, \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno,\u201d or another word or phrase, but this answer is the only possible answer.\r\n\r\nFor example, the question \u201cWhich states have a state-wide, hands-free cell phone law for drivers?\u201d has an exact answer. Each state either does or does not have a hands-free cell phone law, so the answer to the question would be the list of states that have such a law.\r\n\r\nHowever, the question \u201cDo states with state-wide, hands-free cell phone laws tend to have fewer automobile accidents?\u201d does not have an exact answer. To answer this question, we would need to collect data about all the U.S. states, and we would need to make some decisions about how to compare the number of accidents. For example, would we want to compare the raw numbers of accidents, or should we use some sort of proportion that takes the state\u2019s population or typical number of drivers into account?\r\n\r\nSee the example below for a demonstration of how to identify whether a question will take an exact answer or not.\r\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\r\n<h3>Example<\/h3>\r\nDoes the question \u201cWhich states have roads with speed limits over 70 miles per hour?\u201d have an <strong>exact<\/strong> answer?[reveal-answer q=\"191806\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"191806\"]Yes, this question has an exact answer. We could look this information up and create a list of all the states that have speed limits greater than 70.[explanation].[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\nHow about the question \u201cDo states with higher speed limits tend to have more accidents?\u201d Does it have an exact answer?\r\n\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"590442\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"590442\"]No, this question does not have an exact answer. To answer this questions, we would need to collect data and devise a method for using the data to make comparisons about the number of accidents in each state. [explanation][\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nHopefully you are beginning to feel comfortable interpreting what it means to say a question has an exact answer or it doesn't. Test your understanding by working with a partner to answer Question 1.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Question 1<\/h3>\r\nWhich of the following questions does not have an exact answer? Select all that apply. There may be more than one correct answer.\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>a) Which states typically have the most drivers on the road?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>b) Which state has the longest state highway?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>c) Do all states have the same speed limit for school zones?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>d) What percentage of states has roads with a speed limit over 70?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>e) Which state has the worst speeders?<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"953135\"]Hint[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"953135\"]Remember that questions with exact answers have one specific answer and only one clear way in which to answer them. Otherwise, data would need to be collected and comparisons made to make a decision about the answer.[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Goals<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Identify questions that don't have exact answers.&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:769,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;11&quot;:4,&quot;12&quot;:0}\">Distinguish between questions that have exact answers and those that don&#8217;t.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Identify questions that anticipate variability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the <em>What to Know<\/em> assignment and in the following <em>Forming Connections<\/em>, you will need to understand some key vocabulary terms and associated ideas. In particular, you will need to distinguish between questions that have exact answers and those that don\u2019t, and you will need to know when a question anticipates variability in the data.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1065 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5738\/2022\/01\/11233048\/Picture66-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A man using his phone while driving\" width=\"449\" height=\"299\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Driving Variation<\/h2>\n<p>In the next in-class activity, we will be working on writing good statistical questions, and we will be considering statistical questions in the context of drivers in the United States. In this setting, you&#8217;ll encounter some questions about driving in the U.S. for which you&#8217;ll need to identify whether the question has an exact answer or one that could vary from person to person asked. As you work through the activity, give yourself a good opportunity to learn how to tell if a question anticipates a variety of answers by carefully reading the text and examples, then answering the questions in pairs or small groups.<\/p>\n<h3>Statistical Questions<\/h3>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p>Two key qualities of a good statistical question are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">There is not an exact answer.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The question anticipates variability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>When a question has an <strong>exact<\/strong> answer, it means that there is one specific answer to the question and only one clear way in which the question can be answered. This answer could be a number, \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno,\u201d or another word or phrase, but this answer is the only possible answer.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the question \u201cWhich states have a state-wide, hands-free cell phone law for drivers?\u201d has an exact answer. Each state either does or does not have a hands-free cell phone law, so the answer to the question would be the list of states that have such a law.<\/p>\n<p>However, the question \u201cDo states with state-wide, hands-free cell phone laws tend to have fewer automobile accidents?\u201d does not have an exact answer. To answer this question, we would need to collect data about all the U.S. states, and we would need to make some decisions about how to compare the number of accidents. For example, would we want to compare the raw numbers of accidents, or should we use some sort of proportion that takes the state\u2019s population or typical number of drivers into account?<\/p>\n<p>See the example below for a demonstration of how to identify whether a question will take an exact answer or not.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\n<h3>Example<\/h3>\n<p>Does the question \u201cWhich states have roads with speed limits over 70 miles per hour?\u201d have an <strong>exact<\/strong> answer?<\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q191806\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q191806\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">Yes, this question has an exact answer. We could look this information up and create a list of all the states that have speed limits greater than 70.[explanation].<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>How about the question \u201cDo states with higher speed limits tend to have more accidents?\u201d Does it have an exact answer?<\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q590442\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q590442\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">No, this question does not have an exact answer. To answer this questions, we would need to collect data and devise a method for using the data to make comparisons about the number of accidents in each state. [explanation]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hopefully you are beginning to feel comfortable interpreting what it means to say a question has an exact answer or it doesn&#8217;t. Test your understanding by working with a partner to answer Question 1.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Question 1<\/h3>\n<p>Which of the following questions does not have an exact answer? Select all that apply. There may be more than one correct answer.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>a) Which states typically have the most drivers on the road?<\/li>\n<li>b) Which state has the longest state highway?<\/li>\n<li>c) Do all states have the same speed limit for school zones?<\/li>\n<li>d) What percentage of states has roads with a speed limit over 70?<\/li>\n<li>e) Which state has the worst speeders?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q953135\">Hint<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q953135\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">Remember that questions with exact answers have one specific answer and only one clear way in which to answer them. Otherwise, data would need to be collected and comparisons made to make a decision about the answer.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17533,"menu_order":13,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-208","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":156,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17533"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208\/revisions\/219"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/156"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=208"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=208"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/alphamodule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}