AP Statistics Final Project
Description:
This project should serve as a culmination of many of the applications and concepts you have
studied throughout the year. You will pick a research topic or question that you wish to
investigate through an experiment or an observational study. Ideally, your goal is to perform a
hypothesis test for means, proportions, or the difference of two means or proportions. A
goodness of fit or a test for independence is also acceptable. You will collect data using an
appropriate method and then analyze that data using techniques from the entire year. You will
complete a written report as well as a presentation to the class. You may work alone or with a
partner.
Requirements for the Paper:
Your report will be a summary of your research and findings as well as your personal
conclusions. The goal is to use numbers, words, and pictures to fully enlighten the audience,
which in this case are your classmates and me. Use the following format when putting together
the paper:
1. Title Page: original title of paper, your name(s), class, and due date
2. Introduction: state the purpose or questions of the investigation. What do you wish
to “find out?”
3. Sampling Plan and Procedure: describe from where and how you got your data.
Describe the steps you took in your investigation.
4. Summary of Research: include your raw data, calculated statistics, relevant graphs,
and comments on the data
5. Summary of Experiment: conduct some form(s) of inference testing. Include any
relevant confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and appropriate graphs.
6. Final Summary and Conclusion: describe the conclusions or insights you reached
through your analysis. What is the answer to the question posed in the introduction?
Make suggestions for future research. Include any comments on weaknesses and any
improvements that could be made to your procedure.
7. If you work with a partner, you must each submit a one-paragraph summary of your
responsibilities for the task. Include specific examples of the work that you
completed. Also, make your own individual observations about your groups’
conclusions and what should be done for more extensive research.
The paper will be all typed and double-spaced. There should be nothing hand-written, so we will
go over how to include graphs and equations in a document in class. There is no page
requirement, but each section should be thoroughly addressed.
Presentation:
Each group will present their findings in a 10-15 minute presentation done in PowerPoint. Be
creative. DO NOT COPY YOUR PAPER TO SLIDES!!! Make sure that you address the major
points of your research. The presentation will include a summary of your research design and a
summary of your results and conclusions. Include any drawbacks or difficulties you had in
collecting or analyzing your data. If you work in a group, each member of the group must have a
speaking role at some point in the presentation.
Sample Project Ideas:
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Can “half-time” scores be used to predict the final outcome of the game?
Does toast really land butter side down more frequently?
Do people follow directions better when they are given orally or written?
Is there a difference in average math grade for different periods of the day?
Do people know more about their goals as they progress through high school?
Do boys or girls read faster?
Do people tend to overestimate or underestimate time passing?
Will drinking an energy drink before a race improve times?
Timeline of Due Dates:
Project Proposal
Sampling Procedure: written description of
proposed sampling method and experiment
summary. Include who will be in the sample, how
you will reach them, and what you will “do” to
them.
Data Summary: Written description of the raw
data, including graphs, numerical summaries, and
observations from both.
Inference Procedure: Written 4-step process
appropriate to your research.
Final Paper
Presentations: Seniors with A- Final Exemption
Presentations: Everyone else
Per 1
5/20
Per 3
5/20
Per 5/6
5/19
Per 8
5/19
5/22
5/23
5/22
5/22
6/4
6/5
6/5
6/5
6/10
6/11
6/11
6/10
6/12
6/12
6/13
6/12
6/12
6/16
6/12
6/12
6/17
6/11
6/11
6/18
Grading:
The Project Proposal counts as a homework grade on quarter 4. The Sampling Plan counts as a
quiz grade on quarter 4. The Data Summary and Inference Procedure count as test grades on
quarter 4. The paper will count as two test grades. The presentation will count as one test grade.
Your Final Exam Grade will be the average of your paper and presentation.