Additional Exercises

IVPPS Questions
Variable Types Questions

IVPPSS Questions

Perform a thorough IVPPSS for each situation below. Make sure to explicitly identify an individual, use appropriate specific words for the population and parameter and the sample sample statistic, and use an appropriate summary for the parameter and statistic.

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My Dad owns 60 acres of timber (mostly Oak, Walnut, and Poplar) in Iowa. He wants to measure the mean diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) of the oak trees on his property. He measures the DBH of 75 randomly selected oak trees. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= an oak tree on Dad's property;
Var= DBH;
Popn= ALL oak trees on Dad's property;
Param= mean DBH of ALL oak trees on Dad's property;
Sample= 75 oak trees Dad measured;
Stat= mean DBH of the 75 oak trees Dad measured.

I have a friend who wanted to start a (fishing) bait store on the West end of Ashland in 2003. He wanted to determine what proportion of Ashland residents that currently used the East end bait store would use a store in the West end if one existed. He sent out 5000 questionnaires and received 2378 back from patrons of the East end store. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= an Ashland resident that patronized the East end store in 2003;
Var= whether they would go to the West end store or not;
Popn= ALL Ashland residents that patronized the East end store in 2003;
Param= proportion of ALL patrons of the East end store in 2003 that would go to the West end store;
Sample= the 2378 patrons of the East end store in 2003 that returned the questionnaire;
Stat= proportion of the 2378 patrons of the East End store that would go to West end store.

Pollsters wanted to determine the proportion of registered voters in April 2017 who approved of President Trump's performance. They called 5000 randomly selected registered voters and asked 4123 of those (the rest weren't home, didn't answer, or hung up) "Do you approve of Pres. Trump's performance?" Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= a registered voter in April 2017;
Var= whether the registered voter approved of President Trump's performance or not;
Popn= ALL registered voters in April 2017;
Param= the proportion of ALL registered voters in April 2017 that approved of President Trump's performance;
Sample= the 4123 registered voters in April 2017 contacted by the pollster;
Stat= the proportion of the 4123 registered voters in April 2013 that were contacted that approved of President Trump's performance.

You might be interested to know, the average level of mercury in newly-hatched goslings in the upper Midwest (MI, MN, ND, SD, WI) in 2015. You obtained 20 goslings from resource agencies in each state. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= a newly hatched gosling in the upper Midwest in 2015;
Var= level of mercury;
Popn= ALL newly hatchd goslings in the upper Midwest in 2015;
Param= average mercury level in ALL goslings in the upper Midwest in 2015;
Sample= the 20 goslings observed;
Stat= average mercury level in the 20 observed goslings.

You might be interested to know, the proportion of Northland College students in 2016 that think Northland College can become "the nation's leading environmental liberal arts college" in the next decade. You polled 124 students. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= a Northland College (NC) student in 2016;
Var= whether or not they think NC can become the "leading Environemental/Liberal Arts College";
Popn= ALL NC students in 2016;
Param= proportion of ALL NC students in 2016 who answered "Yes, I think NC can become the leading Environemental/Liberal Arts College";
Sample= the 124 NC students in 2016 that were asked the question;
Stat= proportion of the 124 NC students in 2016 that were asked the question who said "Yes, I think NC can become the leading Environemental/Liberal Arts College."

You might be interested to know, the proportion of 2011 graduates from small private schools, who majored in Biology and who have been out of school for at least 5 years, that feel that statistics is an "important" course. You interviewed 1023 people. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= a 2011 graduate from a small private school, who majored in Biology and who has been out of school for at least 5 years;
Var= whether or not the graduate thinks statistics was important;
Popn= ALL 2011 graduate from a small private school, who majored in Biology and who has been out of school for at least 5 years;
Param= proportion of ALL 2011 graduate from a small private school, who majored in Biology and who has been out of school for at least 5 years who said "Yes, statistics is important";
Sample= the 1023 graduates interviewed;
Stat= the proportion of the 1023 graduates that said "Yes, statistics is important."

Scientist in Chivyrkui Bay on Lake Baikal (Owens and Pronin, 2000) were interested, among other things, in determining the mean age of pike (Esox lucius) in the bay. They collected scales (from which age can be determined) from 30 fish using gillnets and angling. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= A pike in Chivyrkui Bay, Lake Baikal during the study period;
Var= age as determined from scales;
Popn= ALL pike in Chivyrkui Bay, Lake Baikal during the study period;
Param= mean age of ALL pike in Chivyrkui Bay, Lake Baikal during the study period;
Sample= 30 pike collected from Chivyrkui Bay, Lake Baikal during the study period;
Stat= mean age of the 30 pike collected from Chivyrkui Bay, Lake Baikal during the study period.

You might be interested to know, the relationship between hours studied and GPA of students in the University of Wisconsin (UW) system (excluding UW-Madison) in 2017. You interviewed 250 students from throughout the system. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= a student in the UW system (excl. UW-Madison) in 2017;
Var= GPA and hours studied;
Popn= ALL students in the UW system (excluding UW-Madison) in 2017;
Param= the "relationship" between GPA and hours studied for ALL students in the UW system (excluding UW-Madison) in 2017;
Sample= the 250 students interviewed from the UW system in 2107;
Stat= the "relationship" between GPA and hours studied for the 250 students interviewed.

You might be interested to know, the average difference in salaries between the head coaches of men's and women's basketball teams at Division I schools. You collected salariees from 73 head-coach pairs in 2012. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= a Division I school in 2012 OR a pair of Men's and Women's head basketball coaches at a Division I school in 2012;
Var= difference in salary between the head coaches for Men's and Women's basketball;
Popn= ALL Division I schools in 2012 OR ALL pairs of coaches at Division I schools in 2012;
Param= average difference in salary for ALL Division I schools in 2012 OR for ALL pairs of coaches at Division I schools in 2012;
Sample= the 73 Division I schools OR 73 head coach pairs;
Stat= average difference in salary for the 73 Division I schools OR 73 head coach pairs.

I'm interested in developing a model to predict how many points an NBA starting basketball player scores. Therefore, I want to determine the relationship between points scored and height, speed (in the 40-yard dash), position, and minutes played. To identify this relationship I gather these data from 100 NBA starting basketball players in 1995. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= a starting NBA player in 1995;
Var= points scored, height, speed, position, minutes played;
Popn= ALL starting NBA players in 1995;
Param= "relationship"" between points scored and other variables for ALL starting NBA players in 1995;
Sample= 100 starting NBA players in 1995;
Stat= "relationship" between points scored and other variables for the 100 starting NBA in 1995 in the sample.

The ruffe is an exotic species of fish that is causing some alarm in fisheries biologists in the Great Lakes area. A few of these biologists tested to see if a certain pheromone released by injured ruffe would repel other ruffe. If so, natural, or possibly synthetic, versions of this pheromone could be used to distract ruffe from areas in which they are causing damage. In their experiment, they observed ruffe held in aquaria divided into four sections. They recorded what proportion of 24 randomly-selected ruffe caught in the St. Louis River Harbor, and then held in the aquaria, left a section when the chemical was added to that section. Use this information to perform an IVPPSS.

Ind= A ruffe in the St. Louis River Harbor during the study period;
Var= Whether or not the ruffe remained in the section of the aquarium when the pheromone was added to the water;
Popn= ALL ruffe in the St. Louis River Harbor during the study period;
Param= Proportion of ALL ruffe that would leave the section of the aquarium where the pheromone was added;
Sample= 24 ruffe observed;
Stat= Proportion of the 24 ruffe that left the section of the aquarium where the pheromone was added.