In this guide on descriptive statistics, we introduced you to the fundamental concepts of descriptive statistics. In this section, we’ll put those skills to the test with a few practice problems. Don’t worry if you’re having trouble remembering certain formulas or ideas, you can always compare your answers to the solutions posted below.

 

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Practice Problems

 

Problem 1

A study has shown that males in the UK have steadily grown in height from the 1800s to 1980. Based on the data below, find the mean height for each sixty-year period. Then, choose an appropriate chart or plot to visualize this data.

Year Height in Cm
1810 169.7
1820 169.1
1830 166.7
1840 166.5
1850 165.6
1860 166.6
1870 167.2
1880 168
1890 167.4
1900 169.4
1910 170.9
1920 171
1930 173.9
1940 174.9
1950 176
1960 176.9
1970 177.1
1980 176.8

 

Problem 2

There are multiple data sources on the subject you are currently studying - weights of students in college. You’re interested in data that has low variability and a large sample size, the problem is that the data you found isn’t in kilograms but in pounds. Using variance and standard deviation in pounds (1 kg = 2.20462 lb), which data set out of the following would you choose?

Measure Data Set A Data Set B Data Set C
Sample Size 15 670 4 500 9 334
Mean 550 464 534
Standard Deviation 432 140 210

 

Problem 3

You want to investigate the average amount of time people aged 20 to 40 spend on the phone each week. Interpret the chart below by finding the group mean of the hours spent on the phone.

Age Hours
20-22 45
23-25 36
26-28 25
29-31 16
32-34 12
35-37 8.5
38-40 4

 

Histogram

 

Problem 4

You’re thinking about buying a new computer and are interested in looking at the price of computers on the market. Your budget is between 400 and 600 pounds. What percentage of the computers on the market are between your price range given the information below?

Mean Price of Computers on the Market 540 pounds
SD of Computers on the Market 120 pounds

 

Problem 5

You are studying the differences of the distributions of streams on a popular music streaming service called Dotify. You find the following chart in a report that studies the number of streams during the first quarter of the year. Interpret the chart using the table provided, measures of central tendency and variability. Keep in mind the data are in thousands.

January February March
Q0 90 65 85
Q1 120 90 115
Q2 130 100 125
Q3 140 110 135
Q4 160 125 155

 

Multi boxplot 2

 

Problem 6

You are studying the frequency of the number of deaths each year for the top 10 causes of death, taken from the World Health Organization. Keep in mind that communicable diseases can pass from individual to individual. Given the following information, interpret the chart below.

Pie of pie

 

Cause of Death Type Frequency (in millions)
Ischaemic Heart Disease Non-communicable 9433
Stroke Non-communicable 5781
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Non-communicable 3041
Lower Respiratory Infections Communicable 2957
Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias Non-communicable 1992
Trachea, Bronchus, Lung Cancers Non-communicable 1708
Diabetes Mellitus Non-communicable 1599
Road Injury Injury 1402
Diarrhoeal Diseases Communicable 1383
Tuberculosis Communicable 1293

 

Solutions to Practice Problems

Solution Problem 1

Here, we need to:

  • Find the mean of each period
  • Plot this data

First, we find the mean by applying the formula for the mean,

\[

\bar{x} = \frac{\Sigma x_{i}}{n}

\]

Year Height in Cm
1810 - 1860 \[

\dfrac{169.7+169.1+166.7+166.5+165.6+166.6}{6} =

\]

\[

\dfrac{1004.2}{6}

\]

\[

= 167.4

\]

1870 - 1920 \[

\dfrac{167.2+168+167.4+169.4+170.9+171}{6} =

\]

\[

\dfrac{1013.9}{6}

\]

\[

= 169

\]

1930 - 1980 \[

\dfrac{173.9+174.9+176+176.9+177.1+176.8}{6} =

\]

\[

\dfrac{1055.6}{6}

\]

\[

= 175.9

\]

 

As we can see, the average height increases over time. This becomes even more apparent when we plot the data.

Bar chart 2

 

Solution Problem 2

Here, you were asked to:

  • Convert the variance and SD to pounds using the conversion 1 kg = 2.20462 lb
  • Choose a data set with low variability and a large sample size

To convert the variance and SD, we simply need to follow the rules for changing units, as seen in the table below.

Measure Data Set A Data Set B Data Set C
Sample Size 15 670 4 500 9 334
Mean \[

\dfrac{550}{2.2} = 250

\]

\[

\dfrac{464}{2.2} = 211

\]

\[

\dfrac{534}{2.2} = 243

\]

Standard Deviation \[

\dfrac{432}{2.2} = 196

\]

\[

\dfrac{140}{2.2} = 64

\]

\[

\dfrac{210}{2.2} = 95

\]

CV 79% 30% 39%

To find a preferred data set, you can use the coefficient of variation. Recall that the formula is,

[\

CV = \frac{s}{\bar{x}} *100%

\]

Which tells us the proportion of the standard deviation to the mean. This is what appears in the last row of the table. Because Data Set C has the second lowest variability but almost double the sample size of Data Set B, we’ll choose Data Set C.

 

Solution Problem 3

In this problem, in order to interpret the chart you where asked to,

  • Interpret the chart by finding the group mean of the hours spent on the phone

To find the group mean, you simply have to follow the formula,

\[

x_{group} = \frac{\Sigma(f_{i}*x_{m})}{n}

\]

Age Hours
20-22 45 21 945
23-25 36 24 864
26-28 25 27 675
29-31 16 30 480
32-34 12 33 396
35-37 8.5 36 306
38-40 4 39 156
Total 146.5 3822

 

Plugging this into the formula, you get,

\[

x_{group} = \frac{3822}{146.5} = 26.1

\]

Which means that the group average is ages 26-28. This can be seen in the chart below.

Histogram 2

 

Solution Problem 4

In this problem, you were asked to find:

  • The percentage of computers on the market in your price range

To do this, we first have to find the z-scores of the upper and lower limits of our budget. Then, we’ll look these z-scores up in the left-tail z-table to find the percentages these two points represent on a normal distribution.

You’re thinking about buying a new computer and are interested in looking at the price of computers on the market. Your budget is between 400 and 600 pounds. What percentage of the computers on the market are between your price range given the information below?

Z-Score Value
Lower Limit: 400 pounds \[

\dfrac{(400-540)}{120} = -1.17

\]

Upper Limit: 600 pounds \[

\dfrac{(600-540)}{120} = 0.5

\]

 

Recall that negative z-scores are found by simply taking 1 minus the absolute value of that z-score. Take a look at the image below for more clarification.

Right and left tail z-score

Because the distribution is symmetrical, we know that 1 - the right-tail probability is the same magnitude as the negative z-score. Find the z-score in the image below.

z-table

Finding the probability of 1.17 in the z-table, we get 0.87900, which gives us the negative probability of,

\[

z_{-1.17} = 1 - 0.87900 = 0.12100

\]

While the z-score for 0.5, looking at the z-table, is 0.69146.

To find the interval of the two probabilities, we simply take the difference between the two. This can be clarified in the image below.

interval z-score distribution

The percentage, then, is,

\[

0.69146 - 0.12100 = 0.57046

\]

Which means about 57% of the computers on the market are within your budget.

 

Solution Problem 5

In this problem, you were asked to:

  • Interpret the chart

Find sample responses in the table below.

Measure Interpretation
Q0 January had the highest minimum streams, at 90,000
IQR = Q3 – Q1 All months had the same IQR of 20,000, which is where 50% of the data lies
Q2 February had the lowest median streams, with 110,000

 

Solution Problem 6

In this problem, you had to,

  • Interpret the chart given the data table

Find some sample responses in the table below

Response Interpretation
Ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementias, lung cancers and diabetes mellitus make up 77% of the top 10 causes of death 77% of the top 10 causes of death are made up of non-communicable diseases
Road Injury makes up only 5% of the top 10 causes of death Injury makes up only 5% of the top 10 causes of death in the world
Lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases and tuberculosis make up about 18% of the top 10 causes of death Communicable diseases make up 18% of the top 10 causes of death

 

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Emma

Emma

I am passionate about travelling and currently live and work in Paris. I like to spend my time reading, gardening, running, learning languages and exploring new places.