Name________________________
Directions: Read the info below and calculate the following statistics from the data
you collected last week. The data from the metric measurement lab density of liquid lab
are available at http://schoolhouse1.fenn.org (Duane 8th science page)
CALCULATING SIMPLE STATISTICS
Part of your job as a scientist is to determine how valid is the data collected. “Valid”
basically means: is the data any good? There is always going to be variation between
multiple trials of measurement. How do you analyze the variation of the data collected?
One way is to calculate some simple statistics that can help make data collected from
several trials more valid. The statistics that you will rely on to make this determination
involve calculating the mean, the median, the range, the maximum, and the minimum.
They are defined below.
Mean – The mean is the average of the sample. It is the sum of the individual
values divided by the number of cases.
Median – The median is the middle number after all cases in the sample have
been ranked from highest to lowest. Half the cases are above the median value,
half the cases are below.
Range – The range is calculated by finding the difference between the smallest
(minimum) and the largest (maximum) measures.
Maximum – The largest value measured.
Minimum - The smallest value measured.
Extra Credit - The Golden Ratio: The "golden ratio" (phi) seems like a magic
number as it appears again and again in nature; from the ratio of body segment
lengths in insects, the human body, to architecture and art. The ratio of body height
to bellybutton height is the golden ration. Calculate the class means of this ratio to
determine the value of phi - the "golden ratio".
Data table: Class Statistics of Densities (solids)
Lab group
Density of rubber stopper
Density of paper
clip
mean
median
range
maximum
minimum
Data table: Class Statistics of Class Heights
Lab group
mean
median
range
maximum
minimum
Height
Belly Button
Height
Density of block
Data table: Class Statistics of Densities (liquids)
Lab group
mean
median
range
maximum
minimum
Density of water
Density of
isopropanol