High School Math : Basic Statistics

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for High School Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Normal Distribution

Which of the following populations has a precisely normal distribution?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

A normal distribution is one in which the values are evenly distributed both above and below the mean.  A population has a precisely normal distribution if the mean, mode, and median are all equal.  For the population of 3,4,5,5,5,6,7, the mean, mode, and median are all 5.

Example Question #2 : How To Identify Characteristics Of A Normal Distribution

If a population has a normal distribution, the number of values within one positive standard deviation of the mean will be . . .

Possible Answers:

at least 40% of all values in the population

fewer than 20% of all values in the population

equal to the number of values within two negative standard deviations of the mean

fewer than the number of values within one negative standard deviation of the mean

equal to the number of values within one negative standard deviation of the mean

Correct answer:

equal to the number of values within one negative standard deviation of the mean

Explanation:

In a normal distribution, the number of values within one positive standard deviation of the mean is equal to the number of values within one negative standard deviation of the mean.  The reason for this is that the values below the population mean exactly parallel the values above the mean.

Example Question #1 : How To Find Z Scores For A Data Set

What is the -score for a value of 115 when the mean of the population is 103 and the standard deviation is 8?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

-score indicates whether a particular value is typical for a population or data set.  The closer the -score is to 0, the closer the value is to the mean of the population and the more typical it is.  The -score is calculated by subtracting the mean of a population from the particular value in question, then dividing the result by the population's standard deviation. 

 

Example Question #1 : Basic Statistics

A value has a -score of .  The value is . . .

Possible Answers:

two standard deviations from the population mean

below the population mean

one standard deviation from the population mean

the same as the population mean

above the population mean

Correct answer:

below the population mean

Explanation:

The -score indicates how close a particular value is to the population mean and whether the value is above or below the mean.  A positive -score is always above the mean and a negative -score is always below it.  Here, we know the value is below the mean because we have a negative -score.

Example Question #1 : Z Distribution

A population of values has a mean of 43 and a standard deviation of 12.  One of the values in the population is 49.  What is the Z-score for that value?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

A Z-score indicates whether a particular value is typical for a population or data set.  The closer the Z-score is to 0, the closer the value is to the mean of the population and the more typical it is.  The Z-score is calculated by subtracting the mean of a population from the particular value in question, then dividing the result by the population's standard deviation.

Example Question #1 : Basic Statistics

In a standard deck of cards, with replacement, what is the probability of drawing two Ace of Hearts?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Probability of drawing first ace of hearts:

Probability of drawing second ace of hearts:

Multiply both probabilities by each other:

Example Question #2 : Basic Statistics

In a standard deck of cards, without replacement, what is the probability of drawing three kings?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Start with 52 cards, probability of drawing first king:

Now you have 51 cards. Probability of drawing second king:

Now you have 50 cards. Probability of drawing third king:

Multiply all probabilities:

Example Question #1 : Identifying Variables And Relationships

With a standard deck of cards, what is the probability of picking a spade then a red card if there is no replacement?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In a standard deck of cards:

Example Question #2 : Statistical Patterns And Random Phenomena

Using a standard deck of cards, what is the probability of choosing a single face card?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

There are cards in a standard deck:  cards in suits.  There are face cards (King, Queen, Jack) in each suit, so there are total face cards.

Thus the probability of choosing a single face card is or .

Example Question #1 : How To Use Boxplots To Summarize A Data Set

The horizontal line in the box of the box and whisker plot represents _____________.

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Possible Answers:

Median

Range

Mode

Interquartile range

Mean

Correct answer:

Median

Explanation:

A box and whisker plot separates the data into quartiles so that each quartile has an equal number of data points. The box indicates the interquartile range, that is, the top line of the box is the third quartile and the bottom line of the box is the second quartile. The line separating the second and third quartiles indicates the median. The lines outside of the box indicate the outer-quartiles (first and fourth).

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