07 Jan Introduce your Data

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 1 Discussion

Descriptive Statistics

Initial Post Instructions

When data is collected, the most common calculations computed are the Measures of Central Tendency, mean, median and mode. It is important to know how to compute these values and it is also extremely important to know what these values mean in context of the data set.

Use the internet to find a data set. Key terms to search: Free Public Data Sets and Medical Data Sets.

Introduce your Data Set and Cite the Source.

Why was this data interesting to you?

Calculate measures of central tendency (Mean, Median & Mode) and measures of variation (Range and Standard Deviation) for your data. Write a sentence for each calculation explaining what that value means in context of your data.

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 2 Discussion

Misleading Graphs

Initial Post Instructions

After exploring different types of graphs this week, it is unfortunate to learn that there are sometimes misleading graphs used in the news, politics, medicine, etc. in order to sway a decision or belief. Some items to watch out for in graphs are—

Is there a title that explains what the graph is displaying?

Are numbers on the axis spaced out proportionally or have they been varied to create a dramatic impression?

Is the graph too loud? Does it have too many components that it distracts from content?

Are there sources cited to know where the data came from?

Use the internet to find a misleading graph. Key Terms to Search: Misleading Graphs

Provide a screenshot of the graph

Cite the Source

Explain why the graph is misleading

Analysis

Explain how you would fix the graph so it is not misleading.

Explain why the creator of the misleading graph would want to create the graph in the first place.

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 3 Discussion

Statistics and Probability in the News

Keep your eyes and ears open as you read or listen to the news this week. Find/discover an example of statistics & probability in the news to discuss the following statement that represents one of the objectives of statistics analysis: “Statistics and Probability helps us make decisions based on data analysis.” Briefly discuss how the news item or article meets this objective. Cite your references. Also, keep in mind and discuss how the impact of your study on your patients or staff might differ if you found it in a journal.

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 4 Discussion

Discrete Probability Variables

Initial Post Instructions

Topic: Poisson Probability Distribution

The Poisson Distribution is a discrete probability distribution where the number of occurrences in one interval (time or area) is independent of the number of occurrences in other intervals.

April Showers bring May Flowers!! Research the “Average Amount of Days of Precipitation in April” for a city of your choice.

In your initial post,

Introduce

Introduce the City and State. Let us know a fun fact!

Tell us the average number of days of precipitation in that city for the month of April.

Cite your Source

Calculations

What is the probability of having exactly 10 days of precipitation in the month of April?

What is the probability of having less than three days of precipitation in the month of April?

What is the probability of having more than 15 days of precipitation in the month of April?

Analysis

Write a sentence for each of the probabilities explaining what those probabilities mean in context of days of precipitation in your chosen city.

Would any of the situations be considered unusual? Why or Why Not?

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 5 Discussion

Interpreting Normal Distributions

Log onto website where you can observe your service bill for the last 12 months (electric bill, cell phone bill, water bill, etc.). If you do NOT feel comfortable sharing this data, you can make up values.

In excel, list the values of your bill for the last 12 months on one column.

Find the sample mean and sample standard deviation of your data.

Pick three bills from the last 12 months and change the values into z-scores. What does the z-score tell you about that particular month?

Analysis

Between what two values would be considered a normal bill? Remember, being within 2 Standard Deviations is considered normal.

Are any of your bills in the last 12 months unusual? Very unusual?

Are there times when you would accept an “unusual” bill? Explain.

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 6 Discussion

Confidence Interval Concepts

Initial Post Instructions

Find an example of a confidence interval in the news, scholarly source or medical journal. Summarize the article/study. Does the article/study include the sample size and the level of confidence used to create the confidence interval? Explain what the confidence interval means in context of the news article or scholarly source.

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 7 Discussion

Rejection Region

Initial Post Instructions

After reviewing data from a sample, an inference can be made about the population. For example,

Find a data set on the internet. Some suggested search terms: Free Data Sets, Medical Data Sets, Education Data Sets.

Introduce your Data Set and Cite the Source.

What trends do you notice in your data set?

Based on the trends and the history of your data set, make a claim. What kind of test (left, right, two tailed) would you have to complete?

Explain the steps needed to complete the Hypothesis Test. What is needed?

MATH399 Applied Managerial Statistics

Week 8 Discussion

Regression

Initial Post Instructions

Medical professionals can find relationships between variables. The more you drink alcohol, the less functionality of your liver. The less carbohydrates a person intakes, the lower their Body Mass Index.

Data can be collected and organized as an ordered pair (x, y). The data can be analyzed to determine the type and strength of a correlation and to calculate a regression line in order to make a prediction.

Use the internet to find a data set of ordered pairs. Key terms to search: Free Public Data Sets and Medical Data Sets.

Create a Post:

Introduce your Data Set and Cite the Source.

Which would be the independent variable, and which would be the dependent variable?

Without drawing a scatter plot, would you expect a positive, negative or no correlation? Explain.

Would you categorize your data to have a strong or weak correlation? Why?

What would the r2 value tell you about the data that you selected?

What is the equation of the regression line?

Use the regression line to make a prediction about the data you collected