Team Students’ Names: ________________________________________________Date:
Units 1 & 2 Anchor Project
“How far your car can go?”
The Goal: To collect & analyze data of your team’s pull-back car’s driving distances.
Calculate mean, standard deviation, & z-scores.
Part 1: Data Collection
1. Test drive your car for pull-backs of 2, 4, 6, and 8 inches. Choose the pull-back
that gives you a maximum travel distance.
Pull-back distance you choose: ___________________ in.
2. Use this pull-back distance & complete 25 runs of your car while measuring &
recording its travel distances in the table below in inches.
# of
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1
the
0
Run
Distan
ce
Travel
ed (in.)
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
1
8
1
9
2
0
2
1
2
2
Part 2: Statistical Sampling
1. What question do you wish to answer with your statistical experiment?
Your Answer:
2
3
2
4
2
5
Team Students’ Names: ________________________________________________Date:
2. Complete the table below.
Population you are sampling:
Sample Size:
Sample method you are using (include name
of the method & details about how it was
done)
What are pros & cons of using this method?
Part 3: Statistical Model Introduction
For Part 3 of your project, you will need to do each of the following:
1. Graph the results of your sampling from Part 1.
You have to copy histogram and box and whisker plots below. You may use
technology to do this or do it by hand.
Box and whisker Plot
Team Students’ Names: ________________________________________________Date:
2. . Find the mean and standard deviation of your data. You may use technology
(Statcrunch) to do this.
The mean distance of your car’s travel: _______________in
The standard Deviation of the distance: ______________in
3. Answer these questions:
Does your sample follow a “normal distribution” curve? Provide
mathematical evidence to support your answer. Yes, or no will not cut it. Go
beyond discussing how it looks too! If you say your data is normal, you will
need to back it up with clear and decisive evidence (do an additional
research on the shapes of distributions, if you are stack).
Your answer:
Team Students’ Names: ________________________________________________Date:
4. Make your data “normal”. If your data is not normal (very possible), you will
need to add extra data points to make it close to normal. Do this while keeping
the mean and standard deviation of your sample data within 1 unit (Contact
your teacher if the spread of your data makes this seem too difficult). Make
sure you note which data points you added (roll your car a few extra times
using the same pull-back). (Hint: You do NOT have to add whole number
values.)
“Extra” data points (extra distances): _____________________________
5. Create a NEW graph (only histogram), this time including the new data points
you added. Include the new mean and standard deviation as well. Organize
the above into a table below.
New Mean (x-bar)
New St. Deviation (s)
New Histogram:
Team Students’ Names: ________________________________________________Date:
Part 3: Z-Scores
For Part 3 of your statistics project, you will need to collect 5 new samples from your
original population (make 5 new rides of your car). Using those 5 samples, answer the
following questions. Give all answers rounded to the nearest hundredth (two decimal
places). Show your work.
1. What is the z-score of each of the 5 new samples? (Show your work using zscore):
Ride 1:____________________________ Ride 2:____________________________
Ride 3:____________________________ Ride 4: ____________________________
Ride 5: ____________________________
2. Think over and answer, what you have learned throughout this project?
Your Answer:
Part 4: Class Competition
Walk around & collect the data from other groups. Record the results in the table.
Compare their results with yours. Are there any differences, or similarities (pull-back
distance, mean, st. deviation results)? Why do you think it happened? Circle the group
with highest mean driving distance.
Group’s #/name
Mean (x-bar)
Standard Deviation (s)
Your group
Your Answer:
And now, make your car ready for the whole class ride. Let’s see, who wins!