Understanding Statistical Questions

What defines a statistical question?

• A question that can be answered with a single, specific answer

• A question that requires data collection and analysis to answer

• A question that does not involve variability

• A question that can only be answered with a yes or no

Why is the question about the age of video viewers in 2013 considered statistical?

• Because it asks for a specific person's age

• Because it involves comparing two ages

• Because it seeks to understand a general age trend among viewers

• Because it can be answered without collecting data

What statistical measure might help compare the speeds of dogs and cats?

• The speed of the slowest dog and cat

• The average or median speed

• The maximum speed of each species

• The total distance each can run

How can variability affect statistical analysis?

• It eliminates the need for data collection

• It simplifies the analysis by reducing the data points

• It is irrelevant to the analysis of data

• It necessitates the use of central tendencies like mean or median

What is a central tendency?

• A calculation that eliminates outliers in data

• A statistical measure that indicates the center point of a dataset

• A measure that identifies the most common value in a dataset

• A trend that predicts future data points

Why is the question about rainfall in Seattle vs. Singapore statistical?

• Because it compares two specific instances of rainfall

• Because it asks about specific rainfall amounts in 2013

• Because it involves analyzing rainfall trends over time

• Because it can be answered without data analysis

What does comparing the average gas mileage at two speeds illustrate?

• That all cars perform the same at these speeds

• That speed has no effect on gas mileage

• The variability in gas mileage based on speed

• The exact gas mileage a car will get at those speeds

Why might an English professor's salary compared to a math professor's be a statistical question?

• Because it can be answered with a simple yes or no

• Because it requires analyzing salary trends and averages

• Because it involves comparing salaries across a field

• Because all professors have the same salary

What makes a question non-statistical?

• Asking about a specific event's outcome

• Involving variability and requiring analysis

• Comparing general trends in data

• Needing to use data to find an answer

How does the concept of variability influence whether a question is statistical?

• Variability indicates the need for statistical methods to answer the question

• Questions without variability are always statistical

• Variability makes a question non-statistical

• Variability is not a factor in determining the nature of a question