Statistics and Probability / Comparing Distributions

Understanding

Measurements collected from the entire population are typically called a census, a complete count of everyone or everything in the population. A sample is a subset of the population, typically selected to represent the population.

What to look for

Students should note that bar graphs convey some information that can be used to compare distributions, but that they are limited as data analysis tools.

Sample Assessment

The plot shows the number of points earned in a contest by men and women.

Number of points earned:

What is the least number of points earned in the contest by either men or women?

Answer: 35 points

The Big Idea

Graphs and summary statistics can be used to make comparisons among distributions of the same characteristic for different populations.

What are the students doing?

Students evaluate advantages and disadvantages of using dot plots, box plots, histograms and bar graphs in comparing data from countries to others with respect to a certain characteristic

What is the teacher doing?

Have students explain why the a bar graph does not the cannot be used to determine the mean, MAD, median, and IQR.