18.01 Types of data
State whether the following data are numerical or categorical:
Amount owing on layby.
Types of vegetables.
Brands of tablets.
Types of folders.
Colours of folders.
Brands of phones.
Maximum snowfall.
Daily UV index.
Types of dogs.
Favourite colours.
Cost of a PS4 game.
Types of fruits.
State whether the following examples of numerical data are discrete or continuous:
The number of classrooms in your school.
Daily humidity.
The ages of a group of people.
The time taken to run 200 metres.
Amount of money paid for walking the dog.
The number of people taller than you in your class.
The top speed of different models of motorcycles.
The size of people's rare coin collections.
Lengths of cats' whiskers.
The distance from the Earth to nearby galaxies.
How long it takes you to fall asleep at night.
The amount of soft drink you drink in a day.
The number of cans of soft drink you drink in a day.
The world record time for solving ten Rubik's cubes.
The hourly pay rate for a particular job.
The rainfall in your city.
Number of children in your sports team.
Amount of money owing on a loan.
Your marks in your most recent Science test.
The number of views that a YouTube channel has.
The strength of an earthquake
For each of the following survey questions, classify the answer as categorical, discrete numerical or continuous numerical data:
How far do you travel to school each day?
Where was your most recent holiday?
How many siblings do you have?
What modes of transport do you use to get to school?
How long did you sleep for last night?
How many people live in your house?
How long does it take for you to get to school everyday?
What languages do you speak at home?
What kinds of pets do you own?
How many pets do you own?
How many times have you broken your arm?
How long did you spend on homework last night?
How tall are you?
How much does your schoolbag weigh?
How many apps do you have in your phone?
Do you think recess is long enough?
Consider the given data set that shows the distance to the nearest hospital (in \text{km}):
26.4, \quad 28.7, \quad 15.1, \quad 37.5, \quad 11.8, \quad 7.9, \quad 16.7, \quad 6.9, \quad 5, \quad 24.9, \quad 35.3, \quad 45.5Is the data type continuous or discrete?
What is the farthest distance to the nearest hospital?
Glen surveys his class about their favourite movie genre. His results are shown in the table:
| Genre | \text{Drama} | \text{Comedy} | \text{Action} | \text{Horror} |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
What type of data is displayed in the table?
Which genre is the most popular among his class?
How many people did Glen survey?
Ten people were asked about the number of hours they spent outside last weekend. The results of the survey are shown:
5, \quad 9, \quad 9, \quad 4, \quad 6, \quad 9, \quad 4, \quad 9, \quad 6, \quad 4What type of data is this?
How many people spent exactly 6 hours outside?
What was the longest that anyone spent outside?
What was the most common amount of time spent outside?
Ten people were asked about the number and type of pets they own. The results of the survey are shown below:
| Twelve fish | Three turtles | Two cats | Two cats | One dog |
| One dog | One dog, One cat | One cat | Five ferrets | One dog |
What type of data is the type of pet?
How many cats do these ten people own altogether?
How many pets do these ten people own altogether?
What is the most common survey response?
State whether the following questions are biased or fair?
Do you want a soup for lunch or a sandwich?
What do you do on a Sunday morning?
Do you like these shoes?
Do you prefer this shirt or the one on the shelves at the moment?
Do you think the government should be allowed to cut down some of the oldest trees in the area to construct a metro railway line in the city?
Do you prefer newspapers or news on television?
Do you prefer the full time degree program or part time degree program?
Should the government enforce a minimum drinking age for its citizens?
Do you eat at least the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables to ensure a healthy and long life?
Do you think bike helmets should be mandatory for all bike riders?
Do you prefer the natural beauty of hardwood floors in your home?
Do you exercise regularly?
Do you feel that the TV news is an inaccurate portrayal of life’s problems?
Don't you think this newspaper is biased?
Do you prefer the look and feel of thick lush carpeting in your living room?
Do you take these extra strength multi-vitamins to supplement your diet?
Explain why the following survey questions are poor:
The Prime Minister believes that taxes are too high, do you think taxes are too high?
Do you have a Snapchat or Twitter account?
Do your siblings ever drive you to school?
Do you often waste time on social media?
What brand of shoe polish do you use everyday?
Patricia surveys her class about their favourite music. Her results are shown in the table:
| Genre | \text{Country} | \text{Pop} |
|---|---|---|
| No. Students | 15 | 2 |
According to the survey, which genre is most popular among her class?
This was her survey question:
"The coolest kids like Country music, and nobody likes Pop. Do you like Country music or Pop music?"
Do you trust the results of Patricia's survey? Explain your answer.