Questions that need data
Ask it more than once. If the answers vary, collect data.
Ask four students
Imagine you ask four Grade 7 students: “How tall are you?”
What answers will you get?
What this lesson covers
The idea
A statistical question is one that can be answered by collecting data that is expected to vary, analysing it, and drawing conclusions.
Ask four students
Imagine you ask four Grade 7 students: “How tall are you?”
What answers will you get?
- The same height four times
- Four different heights
- Nobody can answer
Ask more than once
For each question, tap the button to ask or look 4 times. Do the answers change? Then choose a box.
When answers vary
Students have different heights, so “How tall are Grade 7 students?” has many answers. To answer it we collect the heights, study them and draw conclusions. The question “Typically, are onions costlier in Yahapur or Wahapur?” also needs data, because prices change over time.
A statistical question is one that can be answered by collecting data that is expected to vary, analysing it, and drawing conclusions.
- Answers | The question
- Vary from case to case | Statistical
- Always the same | Not statistical
Notes
A statistical question is one that can be answered by collecting data that is expected to vary, analysing it, and drawing conclusions.
Check yourself
Which is a statistical question?
“Do you like reading?” is not a statistical question. Which change makes it one?
“Typically, are onions costlier in Yahapur or Wahapur?” What do we need to answer it?
In a class of 30 students, 12 like walking up a hill. What fraction of the class likes it? Type a fraction in lowest terms, like 3/4.
Answer: 2/5
12/30 = 2/5 of the class like walking up a hill.
- How many hours do Grade 7 students sleep each night? — correct. Yes! Students sleep different hours, so we must collect the data.
- How many days are there in a week?. The answer is always 7. Nothing varies.
- What is your name?. You give one answer. There is nothing to collect and compare.
- Do you like reading, yes or no?. It still asks one person, who gives one answer.
- What fraction of the students in our class like reading? — correct. Yes! Each student answers differently, and we collect all the answers.
- Why do you like reading?. It still asks one person for one answer.
- The price on one day in Yahapur. One price cannot show what is typical when prices change.
- One shopkeeper’s opinion. An opinion of one person is not data about many prices.
- The prices from many months in both places — correct. Yes! Prices vary, so we study many prices of each place.