topic badge

7.06 Statistical inquiry

Worksheet
Statistical inquiry
1

For each scenario below, choose the best way to gather data from the following options:

  • Conduct an observational study

  • Conduct an experiment

  • Look up official data

a

Finding the conductivity of a piece of metal at different temperatures.

b

Investigating the relationship between the heights of basketball players and the number of points that they score.

c

Investigating the effect of changing water temperature on shark populations.

d

Investigating the relationship between the size of fish and the maximum depth they can swim down to.

2

For each scenario below, choose the most appropriate statistic to use from the following options:

  • Gradient of line of best fit

  • y-intercept of line of best fit

  • Correlation coefficient

  • Extrapolation from the data

  • Interpolation from the data

a

Finding the strength of the relationship between an individual's ability in mathematics and their ability in music.

b

Finding the rate of change of house prices over a number of years.

c

Finding the initial population of a bacterial culture in an experiment to see how quickly bacteria reproduce.

d

Finding the height of a tree in the 5th year if the heights in the 1st, 4th and 7th years were recorded.

e

Finding the strength of the relationship between an individual's heart rate and their energy intake.

f

Predicting the average yearly temperature for a year in the future.

3

In an inquiry to find the energy consumption of a car, 10 controlled experiments were performed and the data were gathered below:

x147259317403448660705751756771
y25354149477672778282

The correlation coefficient was found to be r = 0.99, and the line of best fit was found to be \\ y = 0.09 x + 11.23, where x is the distance in \text{km} and y is the pretrol consumed in \text{L}.

What can we conclude from this inquiry?

4

In an inquiry to find the relationship between height and hair length, the data from 10 people have been recorded below:

x169.2188153.1164.4161.4169.2197.8191.2177.7161
y15.117.4225.3826.110.3732.0121.5613.114910.32

The correlation coefficient was found to be r = 0.09, and the line of best fit was found to be y = 0.08 x + 6.52, where x is the height (in centimetres) and y is the hair length (in centimetres).

What can we conclude from this inquiry?

5

In an inquiry to find the healthcare spending per capita of a country which did not release such data, the healthcare spending per capita and life expectancies of 10 countries were recorded below:

x86.575.786.281.38285.789.985.992.277.2
y7278189471122691404458747481296876323606

The correlation coefficient was found to be r = 0.83, and the line of best fit was found to be y = 356.3443 x - 24967.57, where x is the life expectacy and y is the health expenditure per capita.

The health expenditure per capita of a country with a life expectancy of 76 was then predicted to be y = 2114.6.

What can we conclude from this inquiry?

6

In an inquiry to find how effective studying 60 hours a week is on test results, the data below were gathered:

x10272021261819261716
y59806772796569786867

The correlation coefficient was found to be r = 0.97, and the line of best fit was found to be y = 1.24 x + 45.56.

For a studying time of 60 hours a week (x = 60) it was predicted that the correlated test score would be y = 120.08.

What can we conclude from this inquiry?

7

Scientists conducted a study to see people's reaction times after they've had different amounts of sleep. The results are recorded in the table:

\text{Number of hours of sleep} \left(x\right)1.11.52.12.53.54
\text{Reaction time in seconds} \left(y\right)4.664.14.663.73.63.4

The data has been graphed along with a line of best fit:

a

Calculate the correlation coefficient for this data to two decimal places.

b

Find the equation of the line of best fit. Round all values to two decimal places.

c

What can we conclude from this inquiry?

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
\text{Number of hours of sleep}
1
2
3
4
5
\text{Reaction time} \left(s\right)
8

The number of fish in a river is measured over a five year period:

\text{Time in years}\, (t\text{)}012345
\text{Number of fish } (F\text{)}190319941995160216951311

The data has been graphed along with a line of best fit:

a

Calculate the correlation coefficient for this data to two decimal places.

b

Find the equation of the line of best fit. Round all values to one decimal place.

c

Predict the number of years until there are no fish left in the river.

d

What can we conclude from this inquiry?

2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
t
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
F
9

The following table shows the temperature of a cooling metal versus the number of minutes that have passed:

\text{Minutes }(x)123456
\text{Temperature }(y)292525212117
a

Construct a scatter plot for this data on a number plane.

b

Sketch the line of best fit for the data, given that the line passes through \left(2, 26\right) and \left(6, 18\right).

c
Find the equation of the line of best fit.
d

Calculate the correlation coefficient for this data to two decimal places.

e

What can we conclude from this inquiry?

Sign up to access Worksheet
Get full access to our content with a Mathspace account

Outcomes

MS2-12-2

analyses representations of data in order to make inferences, predictions and draw conclusions

MS2-12-7

solves problems requiring statistical processes, including the use of the normal distribution and the correlation of bivariate data

What is Mathspace

About Mathspace