Resource Library

This activity explains the important features of a distribution: shape, center, spread, and unusual features. It also covers how to determine the difference between mean and median, and their respective measures of spread, as well as when to apply them to a particular distribution. Graphical displays such as: histograms and boxplots are also introduced in this activity. The corresponding data set for this activity is found at the following web address: http://www.causeweb.org/repository/ACT/food.txt

This activity enables students to learn about confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for a population mean. It focuses on the t-distribution, the assumptions for using it, and graphical displays. The activity also focuses on how to interpretations a confidence interval, a p-value, and a hypothesis test.

Song addresses the value of a scientific poll. May be sung to the tune of the Rolling Stones' hit "It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It)" by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Musical accompaniment realizationare by Joshua Lintz and vocals are by Mariana Sandoval from University of Texas at El Paso.

A joke about the over-use of playing card examples in teaching probability.

That was why statistics had to be invented - because people were so unstable and irrational, taken one at a time. A quote of American science fiction author Raymond F. Jones (1915 - 1994) found in his 1956 short story "The Non-Statistical Man". The quote also appears in "Statistically Speaking: A dictionary of quotations" compiled by Carl Gaither and Alma Cavazos-Gaither.

... we must remember that measures were made for man and not man for measures. a quote of popular science and science fiction author Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992) in "Of Time and Space and Other Things" page 143, Avon Books, 1965. The quote also appears in "Statistically Speaking: A dictionary of quotations" compiled by Carl Gaither and Alma Cavazos-Gaither.

Chance is only the measure of our ignorance. A quote from French mathematician and physicist Jules Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912) found in "The Foundations of Science", page 395, The Science Press, 1913. The quote also appears in "Statistically Speaking: A dictionary of quotations" compiled by Carl Gaither and Alma Cavazos-Gaither.

The words 'model' and 'mode' have, indeed, the same root; today, model building is science a la mode. Quote of american philosopher Abraham Kaplan (1918-1993) appearing in "The Conduct of Inquiry" (Chandler, 1964) p. 258. Also to be found in "Statistically Speaking the dictionary of quotations" compiled by Carl Gaither and Alma Cavazos-Gaither p. 140

A cartoon to teach about ambiguous reporting of survey information. Cartoon by John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea from Dennis Pearl (The Ohio State University). Free to use in the classroom and on course web sites.

If you can't measure it, I'm not interested. A quote by Canadian educator and management theorist Laurence Johnston Peter (1919 - 1990) from "Peter's People" in "Human Behavior" (August, 1976; page 9). The quote also appears in "Statistically Speaking: A dictionary of quotations" compiled by Carl Gaither and Alma Cavazos-Gaither.