NAME: ………………………………………

STT 315-701 GRADED HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS #1

Due: check class calendar

Instruction: Show your work and clearly write the answer. If you use
computer software, print an output, paste or attach. Note: this work is not
intended for just you. Ask questions and discuss the concepts, but work
the problems on your own. Zero points will be given for an unauthorized
collaboration. Neatness counts! (-1 point if you don’t staple your papers,
and +2 if everything is just perfect)

1. [3 pts] Colleges and universities are requiring an increasing amount of

information about applicants before making acceptance and financial aid
decisions. Classify each of the following types of data required on a college
application as quantitative or qualitative (just answer, no justification needed)

a. High school GPA ANSWER…………………

b. Honors, awards ANSWER…………………
c. Applicant's score on the SAT or ACT ANSWER…………………
d. Gender of applicant ANSWER…………………
e. Parents' income ANSWER…………………
f. Age of applicant ANSWER…………………

2. [8 pts] A qualitative variable with three classes (X, Y, and Z) is measured for
each of 20 units randomly sampled from a target population. The data
(observed class for each unit) are listed below.
Y X X Z X Y Y Y X X Z X Y Y X Z Y Y Y X
a. Compute the frequency for each of the three classes.
b. Compute the relative frequency for each of the three classes.

ANSWER to a. and b.
Class Frequency Relative Frequency Percentage
X
Y
Z

c. Display the results of part a in a frequency bar graph.

NAME: ………………………………………

Problem 2 – continued

d. Display the results of part b in a pie chart.

3. [3 pts] Consider the stem-and-leaf display shown here. Each data point is an
integer between 0 and 99.

Stem Leaf
4 457
3 00036
2 1134599
1 2248
0 012

a. How many observations were in the original data set? …………..

b. Re-create all the numbers in the data set

c. Compute the sample median. ANSWER…………………..

NAME: ………………………………………
4. [6 points] The U.S. Federal Trade Commission assesses fines and other
penalties against weight-loss clinics that make unsupported or misleading
claims about the effectiveness of their programs. Brochures from two weight-
loss clinics both advertise “statistical evidence” about the effectiveness of
their programs. Clinic A claims that the mean weight loss during the first
month is 15 pounds; Clinic B claims a median weight loss of 10 pounds.

Hint: Use the methods introduced in Chapter 2 including the discussion about the
shape of distributions, and use of Chebyshev or Empirical Rule, whichever is
appropriate, to support your answers a)-c).

a. Assuming the statistics are accurately calculated, which clinic would you
recommend if you had no other information? Why?

b. Upon further research, the median and standard deviation for Clinic A are
found to be 10 pounds and 20 pounds, respectively, while the mean and
standard deviation for Clinic B are found to be 10 and 5 pounds, respectively.
Both are based on samples of more than 100 clients. Describe the two clinics'
weight-loss distributions as completely as possible given this additional
information. What would you recommend to a prospective client now? Why?

c. Note that nothing has been said about how the sample of clients upon which
the statistics are based was selected. What additional information would be
important regarding the sampling techniques employed by the clinics?