Types of Variables I
Identify the specific type of variable (there are four types) for each variable below. Include a short explanation of your reasoning.
- Miles driven per week by a student.
- Type of vehicle (e.g., SUV, sedan, …) driven by a student.
- Signs of disease or not (Y/N) on a rabbit.
- Number of fleas found per rabbit.
- Relative health of a rabbit (poor, good, excellent).
- Species of rabbit (Cottontail, Snowshoe, …).
- Number of correct answers on an exam.
- The concentration (ppm) of lead at 119 sites in Chequamegon Bay.
- An actuary rates potential insurees as “low risk”, “moderate risk”, or “high risk”.
- A sociologist asked respondents from which medium they receive most of their information about wolves: “TV”, “Newspaper”, “Outdoor Magazines”, “Public Policy Meetings”, “Friends or Family”, or “Other”.
- The Koppen scheme of classifying “climates” contains five principal groups: “Tropical rainy”, “dry”, “temperate”, “Continental”, and “Polar”.
Sustainability Survey
The Sustainability Coordinator surveyed 147 randomly selected Northland students in Fall, 2013 to determine (among other things) the average number of miles that Northland students drove per week.
- Identify the individual, variable, population, parameter, sample, and statistic.
- What type of variable is the variable? [Be specific]
Crayfish and Bass
As part of their Biology Capstone research, a Northland College student wanted to determine the mean carapace length of Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) in a lake with Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu). In 2015, the student gathered (as randomly as possible) and measured the carapace length of 235 Rusty Crayfish from the lake with Smallmouth Bass.
- Identify the individual, variable, population, parameter, sample, and statistic.
- What type of variable is the variable? [Be specific]
Types of Variables II
Describe a variable that is of interest to you for each of the four variable types (i.e., make up your own variable for each variable type).