Name: ______________________________________________________________ Date:

_________________________

Survey Says!
MM1D3. Students will relate samples to a population.

a. Compare summary statistics (mean, median, quartiles, and interquartile range) from one sample data
distribution to another sample data distribution in describing center and variability of the data distributions.

b. Compare the averages of summary statistics from a large number of samples to the corresponding population
parameters

c. Understand that a random sample is used to improve the chance of selecting a representative sample.

MM1D4. Students will explore variability of data by determining the mean absolute deviation (the averages of the
absolute values of the deviations).

Objective
Your job is to conduct a survey. What you ask and who you ask is completely up to you. Read the
rubric carefully before starting and consult with your teacher to avoid unnecessary work.

What Do I Turn In?

Your choice! Suggestions include:

• Essay: at least 2 pages long typed and double-spaced (all the usual yadda-yadda goes
here – don’t try to make a short paper look longer with huge fonts and margins).

• Poster: it must be colorful, neat, and easy to read from 5 feet away. Posters are designed
to stand alone but you should also be prepared to answer questions.

• Speech & Power Point: you present your project to the class in a 3 minute speech
supported by visuals in a Power Point show.

• Be creative! Share your creative idea with the teacher and with approval, go for it. Ideas
from the past include a giant painting, a movie, and a model made with Styrofoam and
rubber bands.

When Do I Work on it?

This project is to be completed outside of class.
Rubric
Category Exemplary work… Max Score

Computation ….computes complete summary statistics (see MM1D3a, 30

above).

Statistically …asks a meaningful question of a sizable group of 20

meaningful respondents. You should survey at least 30 people.

Compares …compares at least one summary statistic to a larger 15

population that is cited as a source (MM1D3b).

Sampling ….explains fully the technique used for sampling and if the 10
explained sample is random (MM1D3c).

Variability …computes the mean absolute deviation of the sample and 25

explored draws a conclusion about its meaning (MM1D4).

Still Reading? Need Ideas?

• Ask your friends how many text messages they sent & received yesterday. Compare it to
national averages for the same age group.

• Ask teachers how much TV they watch in a week. Compare it to national averages.

• Ask your family & neighbors how many hours they (estimate) spent on the bus and train in
the last week.

• Look at time spent on activities, count how often something happens.

• Survey people who are intentionally similar (this is known as targeting a demographic) in
different ways. Age is obvious. So is ethnicity. What about height?

• Ask questions with numeric answers so you have numbers to compute summary statistics
with.

Worksheet
I want to ask:

Question: ________________________________________________________________________

Of whom? ________________________________________________________________________

I want my final project to be a:

• Essay

• Poster

• Speech & Power Point

• Something else: _________________________________________________________