Friday, May 7, 2010

Chap 16 Data Handling: Histograms - How does it look like?

Key questions:
  1. What is a Histogram?
  2. How different is it from a Bar Chart?
click here to find your answers.

1. What is a Histogram?














Frequency Table and Histogram














source: http://quarknet.fnal.gov/toolkits/new/histograms.html

2. How different is it from a Bar Chart?
click here to find your answers.
source: courtesy of Ms Loh KY

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

STATISTICS (ANALYSIS) : mean, mode & median

The Next Phase in Statistics is Data Analysis. In this segment we will be focusing on the following:
.1 Averages
.2 Histogram
.3 Other forms of presentation (Dot Diagram, Stem and Leaf)

Follow through the following series of tasks
-----------------
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.1 Averages
'Before you can begin to understand statistics, there are four terms you will need to fully understand. The first term 'average' is something we have been familiar with from a
very early age when we start analyzing our marks on report cards. We add together all of our test results and then divide it by the sum of the total number of marks there are. We often call it the average. However, statistically it's the Mean!' [source: http://math.about.com]

Your task:
  1. Define the following statistical terms: Mean, Mode and Median
  2. You may refer to the following link for assistance [click here]
  3. Provide an example on each of the terms
  4. When do we use mean, mode or median?
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.2 Frequency Table and Histogram

Identify the characteristics of a Histogram.
What is/are the primary difference/s between Histogram and Bar Chart?

Your Task
Do a simple survey in class and complete the following tasks
Complete a Frequency Table
  • Use Numbers and Plot a Histogram (label the axes and provide a suitable Title)
  • Find the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) median
  • Which of the above averages ie. mean, mode or median you think best represents your findings about your survey? Why?

Group 1: Birth months of all your classmates
Group 2: Home location of all your classmates (North, South, East, West)
Group 3: Number of siblings of individual student
Group 4: Types of CCA
Group 5: Favourite genre of movies: Horror, Comedy, Thriller, etc etc

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Other types of Representation



Task completed
the following is the work completed by the various groups:


Data is based on class Birthdates
The mean =
The mode =
The median =

Monday, May 3, 2010

Practice Questions (compulsory)

Dear all,
As Mr Chua has rightly pointed out, learning should be an on-going process and should not be just for the sake of tests or examination. One of SST's goals is to develop 'life-long learners' hence it is imperative to begin with the right mindset and attitude. I have identified the following questions from the chapters covered in Term 2 for compulsory practice.

Please detached the questions or copy the questions from the workbook for easy personal reference later on. Complete working to be shown and please use foolscap papers.

Discovering Mathematics workbook
Chapter 4: Introduction to Algebra
Basic Practice:
Q2, Q4
Further Practice
Q12, Q13, Q19
Challenging Practice
Q23, Q24

Chapter 16: Data Handling
Basic Practice
Q2, Q6, Q7
Further Practice
Q13, Q16, Q17, Q20
Challenging Practice
Q22, Q24

Will be covering this soon but you may try first
Chapter 5: Algebraic Manipulation
Basic Practice
Q1, Q2, Q4

All the best - feel free to ask me for any clarification.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Math Revision Answers

Shown below
are the answers as well as the necessary working for your review.



Monday, April 19, 2010

Pie charts and frequency diagrams

The following website shows the representation of data as Pie Chart and Frequency diagrams.
Go through the tutorial in the website and complete the given worksheet in class.

Please click here for access to site.


STATISTICS (reading)

“We are just statistics, born to consume resources” - Horace (65-8 BC Epistles Book 1)

When information for a statistical investigation is collected and recorded this is referred to as data.

What is a statistical investigation?

There are four processes involved in a statistical investigation

1 Collection of data (information)

Data for a statistical investigation can be collected from records, from surveys, by direct observation or by measuring or counting. Data can be collected for the whole population, which generally means all the people of things that the conclusions of a statistical investigation would apply to, or for a sample of the population.

Collection of data is the first and most important task in an investigation because unless the correct data is collected valid conclusions cannot be made.

2 Organisation and Display of Data

This involves organizing data into tables and/or displaying the data with a suitable graph so that some of the features of the data are more visible.

For the two types of data that we study in detail (categorical and numerical) there are appropriate tables and graphs.

Discrete data can be displayed by:

· Pictogram - display of information using pictures to represent frequency.

· Bar chart – display of information using bars of different lengths to represent the frequency.

This is useful for making comparison over a period of time e.g. exam results

· Pie chart – uses a circle to represent data: useful to show proportions

· Leaf-and-stem diagram – shows all the original data and therefore useful to show trend of data

· Dot diagram – each dot corresponds to one score. The frequency of a number is the number of times it occurs.

· Line graphs

A histogram may be used to display non-discrete (continuous) data

3 Calculation of Descriptive Statistics

There are some statistics that are universally used to describe a set of data.

Calculating statistics that indicate the centre of the data and the spread of the data give us a picture of the sample or population under investigation.

Reading : http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/hill/dstat/dstat.html

4 Interpretation of Statistical Data
This process involves explaining the meaning of the table, graph or descriptive statistics in terms of the variable or theory to be investigated.
Some questions that you may ask to interpret statistical data:

1. What is the title of the chart, table or graph?

2. What is the purpose of this chart, table or graph?

3. What do the labels/headings tell you?

4. What key information does the data provide?

5. What is your main conclusion about the data?

6. How were you able to interpret this chart, table or graph?

7. Who created the chart, table or graph?

8. What information does the chart, table or graph add to the given account(s) of event?

9. Does the information in this chart, table or graph support or contradict information

that you have read about this event?

Types of data

Data are individual observations of a variable. A variable is a quantity that can have a value recorded for it or to which we can assign an attribute or quality.

There are two types of variable that we commonly deal with :

Categorical variables

A quality is recorded for this type of variable.

The information collected is called categorical data.

Examples of categorical variables are:

  • Colour of eyes : the categories would be blue, brown, hazel, green, violet
  • Gender : Male or Female
  • Marital Status : Single, Married, Separated, Divorced

Numerical variables

A numerical value is recorded for this type of variable. The information collected is called numerical data.

Examples of numerical variables are :

  • The number of people in a household : the variable could take the values 1, 2, 3, 4, …
  • The weight of new born babies : the variable could take any value on the number line but it is likely to be in the range of 0.5 kg to 8 kg.
  • The score out of 30 on a test : the variable could take the values 0, 1, 2, …, 30

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Chap 4: Saying it algebraically

Posted by Loh Kwai Yin

more about writing algebraic expressions.
http://www.quia.com/mc/319817.html