Examine and interpret 14 variables from a random sample of 1450 birth
records taken by the North Carolina State Center for Health and Environmental Statistics in
2001, and communicate the information by describing the data set, both graphically and
numerically, in the form of a PowerPoint presentation.
This assignment will satisfy the following core objectives:
- Critical Thinking Skills – to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and the analysis,
evaluation, and synthesis of information. - Communication Skills – to include effective written, oral, and visual communication.
- Empirical and Quantitative Skills – to include applications of scientific and mathematical
concepts.
This assignment will assess the following student learning outcomes:
SLO 1: Explain the use of data collection and statistics as tools to reach reasonable
conclusions.
SLO 2: Recognize, examine and interpret the basic principles of describing and presenting
data.
SLO 3: Compute and interpret empirical and theoretical probabilities using the rules of
probabilities and combinatorics.
SLO 5: Examine, analyze and compare various sampling distributions for both discrete and
continuous random variables.
SLO 6: Describe and compute confidence intervals.
SLO 7: Solve linear regression and correlation problems.
SLO 8: Perform hypothesis testing using statistical methods.
MATH 1342 Project Instructions
Given the data from the North Carolina State Center for Health and Environmental Statistics in
2001, create a well-organized, creative PowerPoint presentation that will analyze the given
information. The data, which is stored in the Excel file, named “Communication Project Data”
should be attached.
Consider the following points when creating the PowerPoint:
10/2/2018 - Record the voice narrating the PowerPoint. You may wish to rehearse your
presentation before you record your voice. - The PowerPoint should play automatically from slide-to-slide.
- The first slide should include your Name, course name and number (MATH 1342
Elementary Statistical Methods), and semester (Spring 2019). - All slides should be grammatically correct and error free.
- All math content must be correct.
- The PowerPoint presentation should be uploaded into Canvas before the due date.
- This project will count as a test grade.
- Analyze the design of the study:
a. What sampling technique do you think was used to select the sample for the
study? Why?
b. What data collection method will give you a sample that is representative of
the population? Define the population and the sample of the study.
c. Classify each variable in the study as qualitative or quantitative? Explain why
you classified the variable in that way.
d. Use the data in the study to provide an example for each level of
measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio). If any of the levels is
missing, propose a new variable to illustrate it.
e. Identify possible flaws or biases in the study. - For any two of the qualitative type variables, construct a frequency table that gives
the counts and percentages of observations in each category (class) and a bar graph
or pie chart that better summarize the data. Use separate PowerPoint slide for each
of the two variables. - Using the percentages from step 9 construct two 95% confidence intervals for the
population proportion. Interpret the results. - For any two of the quantitative type variables, construct a histogram and comment
on the shape, and construct a table to show the mean, median, standard deviation,
10/2/2018
the minimum value, and the maximum value. Use separate PowerPoint slide for each
of the two variables. - Using the means and standard deviations from step 11 construct two 90% confidence
intervals for the population means. Interpret the results. - A good friend of yours had a baby and gained approximately 30 pounds during her
pregnancy. Find the z-score, sketch the graph, and in writing explain to her why she
should not be too depressed over this occurrence. - Construct a scatter plot of the data, calculate the correlation coefficient and make a
conclusion about the type of correlation between completed weeks of gestation and
weight of child (grams). Find the equation of the regression line and add the graph to
the scatter plot. - Of particular interest will be incidents of low infant birth weight. Low birth weight is
commonly defined as less than 2500 grams. Construct the contingency table, that
shows the number of women who smoke and who did not smoke and the number of
babies with low birth weight. Compare the probabilities of a woman to have a baby
with low weight, if she smokes and if she doesn’t smoke. Make a conclusion. - A government agency reports that the male to female ratio in 2018 was 102 to 100, i.
e. the chance to have a male baby is 50.5%. At α = 0.05 is there enough evidence to
reject the agency’s claim? Write the conclusion using complete sentences. - Use the data in the study to find the probability that if you survey 20 women, at least
12 of them will have a son. - Lastly, propose three other variables you would like to investigate in regard to
weight of the mother. Write the explicit question you would ask the mother prior to
delivery and in writing explain why you want to know that information. - Save your file using your last name, first name initial, and the section number, i.e. for
John Smith from MATH 1342.01 it will be SmithJ.MATH1342.01.
Sample Solution
