Review I

Soc 333, July 11, 2014

Review Exercises

Exercises: With the following three sets of values, perform each of the three exercises (R1, R2, R3) below:

R1: What is the average of these values (use R like a calculator to show your work, then check it with the mean() function)?

R2: Do the same with median…

R3: Do the same with standard deviation…

R4: If the mean and the median are the same, what does this say?

R5: If the mean is much larger than the median what does this say?

R6: If I have two samples, one with 10 observations and a mean of 20, one with 20 observations and a mean of 17, and I combine my samples together, what is the overall mean?

R7: A test has a normal distribution of scores. The mean is 300, the variance is 150. What is the z-score that corresponds to a score of 330? What is the z-score the corresponds to a score of 280? What percentile is 330 at? What percentile is 280 at?

R8: What score corresponds to the 42nd percentile (i.e. p=0.42)? What score corresponds to the 55th percentile? (i.e. p=0.55)?

R9: What percentage of scores are between 295 and 335? What percentage of scores are between 310 and 312?

SOLUTIONS:

R4: The data are likely to have a fairly even or symmetrical distribution.

R5: That there is probably a positive skew in your data.

R6: (10*20+20*17)/(10+20) = 18

R7: z=(330-300)/sqrt(150) = 2.45 p=.9929

z=(280-300)/sqrt(150)= - 1.63 p: 1-.9484 = 0.0516

R8: p=.42 is a negative z-score. So, calc. z for 1-.42 = .58.

z=-.20. X=-.2*sqrt(150)+300=297.55

p=.55, z=.12, X=.12*sqrt(150)+300 = 301.5

R9: Calc p for 240 and 400; calc p for 310 and 410

z1=(295-300)/sqrt(150) z=-.41, p=1-.6591=.3409

z2=(335-300)/sqrt(150) z=2.86, p=.9979

Percent between these two values = 99.79-34.09=65.7%

z1=(310-300)/sqrt(150) = .82, p=.7939

z2=(312-300)/sqrt(150) = .98, p=.8365

Total between = .8365-.7939=0.043 or 4.3 percent of the observations are between 310 and 312.