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Math 150 - Statistics

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Instructions: Answer each question in order using the data you generated from
your individual die (or from the data I provided if you were absent from class).
Answering them in order is rather important as certain elements will rely on previous questions. Provide answers on a separate sheet. Feel free to use any statistical
package you know how to use or want to learn to use, especially for part 2. (I
suggest Microsoft Excel or Open Office Calc.)

First we will determine what should happen if we assume that the die has equal
probability of landing on any given side (that is, if the die is fair). We will determine
some of the statistical values we should see if a die is a fair die and thus we will
determine population statistics for all single die rolls.
1. A fair six sided die is numbered 1 to 6. The numbers are generally arranged
with values on opposite sides totalling 7. Find the mode and midrange of the
population of single die rolls.

2. Suppose we rolled the die six million times. Given that each number is equally
likely of showing up roughly how many of each number should we expect to see?

3. Supposing the above, what is the median of this data?

4. Recall that expected value is fundamentally related to the arithmetic mean. Find
the mean value of a die roll by calculating the expected value of a die roll. (Hint:
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since die rolls are uniformly distributed you should find that all of the measures
of centrality more or less agree.)

5. Find the variance of a die roll. Use the value from above as the mean and then
determine the expected value of the difference from the mean. For example, if
you determined the mean was 7 (hint: it is not actually 7) then rolling a 5 would
have a value of 2 since it is 2 less than the mean. We would use (2)2 within
the equation for variance.

6. Use the value of the variance you found above to find the standard deviation.

Now that we have determined the population statistics, we will collect some
sample data from an actual die. We will then compare the sample statistics with
the population statistics as a means of supporting or refuting the statement this
is a fair die.
1. Roll your 6 sided die somewhere between 30 and 40 times recording the result
each time. Visually display this data in any manner you choose which will help
you make observations. (This visual display may be computer generated if you
choose.)

2. We know fair dice are uniformly distributed. Based on your visual display, does
it appear that your die is roughly uniformly distributed? Which numbers appear
over or under represented?

3. Determine the median, mode and midrange of your sample. How do these values
compare to the similar values from the population?
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4. Determine the arithmetic mean of your sample. How does this compare to the
expected value above?

5. Determine the variance of your sample. How does this compare to the population
variance?

6. Determine the standard deviation of your sample. How does this compare to the
population standard deviation?

7. Is the population expected value within one sample standard deviation of the
sample mean?

We will now explore some possibilities for interpreting this data. This section will
ask you to think about what was done and what you might expect other students
results might be. Think about these questions and provide something of an answer
but notice that this section will not be graded harshly at all.
1. Consider what we know about bias and sources of error when collecting data. Is
there any bias here that we should account for?

2. There are 26 students registered for this class. With what you know about
standard deviation, would you be surprised to learn at least one student rolled
some extreme numbers and determined the population expected value was not
within one sample standard deviation of the sample mean?

3. Does this mean that their die is definitely biased in some way?

4. Is it possible that a biased die could still pass the test we conducted here?
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