Final Project
Introduction to Statistics
Instead of a final exam, I would
like you to complete a statistics final project. In this project you will apply
your knowledge of statistics to a specific question. The first thing you will
need to do is find a question to study. Look at p.753-756 in your textbook -
here you will find provided a number of questions that might interest you.
Perhaps you have your own question that you might like to answer also. You
should be careful to choose a question where you can use some of the techniques
in the course.
Once you have a topic to study, you
need to get data. The best score for many items is the Internet itself. Start
with a search of your topic area and work from there. I am happy to give you
suggestions as to where to find good data for your question.
You should present your final
project as a typewritten report. It must include the following information:
- An introduction which includes
the original question your report wants to answer
- The data and your techniques
of gathering the data or the source of the data if it is on the internet
- Some descriptive statistics
and graphs that “suggest” your claim
- A hypothesis test – which
includes all relevant components
- A statement of your
conclusions
- Reasons why the results might be incorrect, along with a description of ways in which the study could be improved if you were given more time or money. Make sure you discuss the validity of your data. Do you think it is biased in any way? Why?
HOW
TO GET STARTED:
- First pick a topic - e-mail me
with your topic by April 15, 2002. I need your topic so I can help you with
posing a correct question (one that can be answered) and gathering data
- Get the data - this can be
done on your own or just get some data out of a book or the internet
(preferred method)
- Do your analysis
- Write the report