AS Statistics Facts and Definitions Quiz: Answers

1. What is a population? 2. What is a census?

The whole set of people or items that are of interest. A census observes or measures every member of a population.

3. What are the advantages of a census? 4. What are the disadvantages of a census?

1) Every single member of population is used 2) It is unbiased 3) Gives an 1) It takes a long time to do
accurate answer 2) It is costly
3) It is difficult to ensure that the whole population is surveyed
55 What is a sample? 6 What are the advantages of sampling?

A selection of observations taken from a subset of the population which is used 1) Sample is representative (if population is large and well mixed)
to find out information about the population as a whole
2) Sample is generally cheaper than a census

3) Sampling is advantageous where the testing of items result in their

destruction

4) Data is generally more readily available

7 Name a disadvantage of sampling
1) There can be natural variation between two samples
2) There can be bias, e.g. sampling from an incomplete sampling frame;
getting responses from people that have a particular interest in the topic
being studied etc
8 Give two circumstances in which it would be necessary to carry out a sample
survey rather than a census.
1) If the population is infinite or it’s impossible to obtain all members
2) If the investigation/testing will result in the destruction of the sampling units

9 What are sampling units? 10 What is a sampling frame?

Individual units of a population List of all sampling units

11 How is a simple random sample taken? 12 How is systematic sampling carried out?

Pull names out of a hat or number all the sampling units and use a random The required elements are chosen at regular intervals from an ordered list.
number generator. Ensure that that every possible sample has an equal chance
of being selected.

13 How is stratified sampling carried out? 14 How is quota sampling carried out?

The population is divided into strata and a random sample is taken from each An interviewer or researcher selects a sample from a subgroup of the
group. population. This is not a random sampling method.

15 How is opportunity sampling carried out? 16 What’s the difference between quantitative data and qualitative data?

The sample is taken from people who are available at the time the study is Quantitative data is numerical and qualitative data is non-numerical.
carried out and who fit the criteria you are looking for.

17 What’s the difference between a continuous variable and a discrete variable? 18 How do you work out the variance of a data set?
A continuous variable can take any value in a given range. A discrete variable
∑ 𝑥2 ∑𝑥 2
The mean of the squares minus the square of mean 𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑥) = −( 𝑛 ) .
can only take specific values. 𝑛

19 How do you estimate the median from a table of grouped continuous 20 To find the lower quartile from a list of discrete data values, how do you
data? work out which value to use? (There are various ways)
𝑛th 𝑛 𝑛
The median is the value. Calculate the cumulative frequencies to find what Work out . If the answer is a decimal, round up (eg if is 6.5, use the 7th
2 4 4
class the median lies in. Use interpolation within that class to estimate the value). If the answer isn’t a decimal, use halfway between this value and the
median. Ensure you use the correct class boundaries. one after (e.g. if
𝑛
is 7, use the 7.5th value).
4
𝑥−𝑎 𝑥−𝑎
21 If we use the coding 𝑦= , how do we find the mean of 𝑥 if we know 22 If we use the coding 𝑦= , how do we find the standard deviation
𝑏 𝑏
the mean of 𝑦? of 𝑥 if we know the standard deviation of 𝑦?

𝑥̅ −𝑎 𝜎𝑥
Substitute 𝑦̅ into the formula 𝑦̅ = and rearrange to solve. 𝑥̅ = 𝑏𝑦̅ + 𝑎 Substitute 𝜎𝑦 into the formula 𝜎𝑦 = 𝑏 and rearrange to solve. 𝜎𝑥 = 𝑏𝜎𝑦
𝑏