CCN1028 Elementary Statistics

2016/17 Semester 2
Worksheet 1 – Solution

Topics Covered
 Chapter 1
o Descriptive vs Inferential Statistics
o Variable Types
o Population, Sample, Parameter & Statistics
o Data Collection Methods

Question 1

Determine whether descriptive or inferential statistics are used in the following cases.

Case Descriptive/Inferential
1. Out of the 300 patients taking an experimental drug, 31 of them Descriptive
developed side effects.
2. After interviewing 250 patients in a hospital, the hospital Inferential
administrator estimated that 42% of the patients in the hospital are
not satisfied with the services provided.
3. The average age of a sample of high school students is 14 years. Descriptive
4. Based on yesterday’s sales records of an electronic store, the store Descriptive
manager found that 43.5% of the customers bought a smartphone
yesterday.
5. In a census, the government found that 36% of the citizens were Descriptive
retired.
6. A primary school teacher predicts that 7% of his students will fail in Inferential
their mathematics test.
7. A real-estate analyst projected that the property price index in Hong Inferential
Kong will increase by 4.8% next year.
8. In a telephone survey, out of the 1500 voters interviewed, 382 of Descriptive
them were in support for candidate A in the upcoming election.
9. Out of 30 children of a village, 17 are found to have decayed teeth. Descriptive
10. After conducting a clinical trial, a doctor claims that a new medical Inferential
procedure can extend the survival of cancer patients by 27% on
average.

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Question 2 Determine the variable types of the following variables.

Variable Qualitative, Levels of

Quantitative (discrete), measurement –
Quantitative (continuous) Ratio, Interval,
Ordinal and Nominal
1. The operating system of a tablet Qualitative Nominal
computer
(iOS/Android/Windows/Other)
2. The battery life of a smartphone in Quantitative (continuous) Ratio
hours
3. No. of apps installed on a smartphone Quantitative (discrete) Ratio
4. The rank of a student in a class Qualitative Ordinal
5. The level of happiness (Very happy/ Qualitative Ordinal
Happy/ Not happy)
6. The number of heartbeats of a person Quantitative (discrete) Ratio
in one minute
7. Age of a person Quantitative (continuous) Ratio
8. Whether a person is short-sighted or Qualitative Nominal
not?
9. The birth date of a person Quantitative (continuous) Interval
Hints: Is it meaningful to compare the
difference of two persons’ birth dates? Is it
meaningful to look at the ratio of two
person’s birth dates?
10. The change in the stock price of a Quantitative (continuous) Interval
public company in a day
Hints: the change can be positive or
negative

Question 3

Suppose you are a store manager of a boutique and you are asked to catalog the clothing you are selling. List
4 possible variables you can collect for each clothing item and state their variable types. An example is
already given below.

Variable about clothing items Qualitative, Levels of measurement

Quantitative (discrete), – Ratio, Interval,
Quantitative (continuous) Ordinal and Nominal
1. Price Quantitative (continuous) Ratio

2. Size (S/M/L/XL) Qualitative Ordinal

3. Gender (M/F/Both)
(i.e. whether the clothing is designed Qualitative Nominal
for male, female or both)
4. Percentage change in sale quantities Quantitative (continuous) Interval

5. Total quantities sold last month Quantitative (discrete) Ratio

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Question 4

Identify the population, sample, parameter and statistics in each of the following cases. (One example is
provided below for your reference)

Example:
120 students were selected from all HKCC students at the end of 2016/17 semester one. The average GPA
of the selected students was used to estimate the average GPA of all HKCC students in 2016/17 semester
one.
Population: Sample:
All HKCC students at the end of 2016/17 semester The 120 students selected at the end of 2016/17
one semester one
Parameter: Statistic:
Average GPA of all HKCC students in 2016/17 Average GPA of the 120 students
semester one.

Case 1:
A financial analyst carried out a study to find out the average MPF balance of all secondary school
teachers in Hong Kong at the end of 2016. Of the 347 secondary school teachers participated in the study,
they have an average MPF balance of $285,000.
Population: Sample:

All secondary school teachers in Hong Kong The 347 secondary school teachers participated in
the study

Parameter: Statistic:

Average MPF balance of all secondary school The average MPF balance of the 347 secondary
teachers in Hong Kong at the end of 2016 school teachers who participated in the study

Case 2:
A district council member carried out a survey to find out the proportion of low income households in
WXY Estate. In the survey, he interviewed 230 randomly selected households from WXY Estate. He
estimated that 29% of the households in the estate could be classified as low income households.
Population: Sample:

All households in WXY Estate The 230 randomly selected households from WXY
Estate

Parameter: Statistic:

Percentage of low income households in WXY Estate Percentage of low income households among the
230 randomly selected households

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Question 5

Determine the data collection methods used in each of the following surveys.

Survey Data Collection

Method
1. Students of a class were asked to respond to several questions sent Email survey
to them by email.
2. A doctor collected the heart rates and blood pressures of 250 Personal interview
patients during their checkups at the hospital. survey
3. In a public opinion survey, the survey respondents are contacted by Telephone survey
using random digit dialing.
4. Questionnaires are sent to respondents by regular mail. Mailed questionnaire
survey
5. A selected group of customers were asked to fill in a questionnaire Online survey
on a company’s website after they completed an online purchase.

End of the Worksheet

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