4.

Data presentation

4.12 Learning activities

1. Identify and describe the variables in each of the following examples:
(a) Voting intentions in a poll of 1,000 people.
(b) The number of hours homemakers watch television per week.
(c) The number of children per household receiving full-time education.

2. Find the mean of the number of hours of television watched per week by 10
homemakers:
4 Number of hours watched: 2, 2, 2, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10.

3. Calculate the mean, median and mode of the prices of spreadsheets (using the data
below).

Name Price (in £)

Kuma K-Spread II 52
Logistix 64
Sage Planner 65
SuperCalc 3.21 82
VP Planner Plus 105
SuperCalc v4 107
Multiplan IV 110
Borland QUATTRO 115
Legend Twin Level 3 155
SuperCalc v5 195
Plan Perfect 195
Microsoft Excel 239
Lotus 1-2-3 265

Total 1749
Number of observations 13

You should be able to show that the arithmetic mean is 134.54, the median is 110,
and the mode is 195 or 110.
(Note: a mode exists at 195 (with two values) in this raw data. However, rounding
to the nearest 10 gives values at 110.)

4. Work out s2 for a sample of nine observations of the number of minutes students
took to complete a statistics problem.
Minutes to complete problem: 2, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 11, 20.

5. Think about why and when you would use each of the following:
(a) histogram
(b) stem-and-leaf diagram.
When would you not do so?

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 4.13. Further exercises

6. Find data presentation diagrams in newspapers or magazines that might be

construed as misleading.

7. Calculate the range, variance, standard deviation and interquartile range of the
spreadsheet prices shown below. Check against the answers given after the data.

Name Price Price − Mean (Price − Mean)2

Kuma K-Spread II 52 −82.54 6812.60
Logistix 64 −70.54 4975.67
Sage Planner 65 −69.54 4835.60
SuperCalc 3.21 82 −52.54 2760.29 4
VP Planner Plus 105 −29.54 875.52
SuperCalc v4 107 −27.54 758.37
Multiplan IV 110 −24.54 602.14
Borland QUATTRO 115 19.54 381.75
Legend Twin Level 3 155 20.46 418.67
SuperCalc v5 195 60.46 3655.60
Plan Perfect 195 60.46 3655.60
Microsoft Excel 239 104.46 10912.21
Lotus 1-2-3 265 130.46 17020.21

Total 0.00 57661.23

Variance = 4435.48 Std. Dev. = 66.60 IQR = 113

Solutions to these questions can be found on the VLE in the ST104a Statistics 1 area
at http://my.londoninternational.ac.uk
In addition, attempt the ‘Test your understanding’ self-test quizzes available on the
VLE.

4.13 Further exercises

Newbold, P., W.L. Carlson and B.M. Thorne Statistics for Business and
Economics. (London: Prentice-Hall, 2012) eighth edition [ISBN 9780273767060].
Relevant exercises from Sections 1.3, 1.5 and 2.1–2.3.

4.14 A reminder of your learning outcomes

After completing this chapter, and having completed the Essential reading and
activities, you should be able to:

calculate the following: arithmetic mean, median, mode, standard deviation,

variance, quartiles, range and interquartile range

explain the use and limitations of the above quantities

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