Chapters 1 & 2: Worksheet

Answers

1.10. Identify which of the following variables are discrete and which are continuous:

a. Number of warts on a toad D
b. Survival time after poisoning C
c. Temperature of porridge C
d. Number of bread crumbs in ten meters of trail D
e. Length of wolves' canines C

1.11. A study was carried out in women to determine whether the psychological
consequences of having an abortion differ from those experienced by women who
have lost their fetus by other causes at the same stage of pregnancy. Was this an
observational study or an experimental study? Why?
This is an observational study. The study uses the subjects who are available rather
than selecting subjects randomly. Note that in order to do this as an experimental
study, we would have to randomize pregnant women into two groups, induce
abortion in one group and terminate pregnancy by other causes in another. This is
obviously impossible to do, so we cannot conduct an experimental study in this
scenario.

1.12. Identify whether the following variables are numerical or categorical. If numerical,
state whether the variable is discrete or continuous. If categorical, state whether the
variable is nominal or ordinal.

a. Number of sexual partners in a year Numerical - Discrete
b. Petal area of rose flowers Numerical - Continuous
c. Key on the musical scale Categorical - Ordinal
d. Heart beats per minute of a Tour-de-France cyclist, averaged over the duration of
the race Numerical - Continuous
e. Stage of fruit ripeness (e.g., under ripe, ripe, or over ripe) Categorical - Ordinal
f. Angle of flower orientation relative to position of the sun Numerical Cont.
g. Tree species Categorical - Nominal
h. Year of birth Numerical Discrete or Categorical Ordinal, depending on
purposes of the study and how the data were collected.
i. Gender Categorical - Nominal
j. Birth weight Numerical - Continuous

1.14. A random sample of 500 households was identified in a major North American city
using the municipal voter registration list. Five hundred questionnaires went out,
directed at one adult in each household, which asked a series of questions about
attitudes regarding the municipal recycling program. Eighty of the 500 surveys
were filled out and returned to the researchers.

a. Can the 80 households that returned questionnaires be regarded as a random
sample of households? Why or why not?
No. The 80 returned surveys were not a random sample of the initial 500 since
they depend on volunteer response.
b. What type of bias might affect the survey outcome?
Volunteer bias


2.14. The following graph depicts a frequency distribution of beak widths of 1017 black-
bellied seedcrackers (Pyrenestes ostrinus), a finch from West Africa.



a. What is the mode of the frequency distribution?
Between 12 and 13 mm
b. Estimate by eye the fraction of birds whose measurements are in the interval
representing the mode. About 50%
c. There is a hint of a second peak in the frequency distribution between 15 and 16
mm. What strategy would you recommend be used to explore more fully the
possibility of a second peak? Note that we still need to work with the same data
set, so if we try a few different smaller bin widths, we can zoom into whats going
on at the second peak. The new bin width would have to be applied to the entire
sample and not just the part which we want to investigate.
d. What name is given to a frequency distribution having two distinct peaks?
Bimodal Distribution


2.21. Spot the flaw. Examine the following figure, which displays the frequency
distribution of similarity values (the percentage of amino acids that are the same)
between equivalent (homologous) proteins in humans and the pufferfish of the
genus Fugu.



a. What type of graph is this? Histogram
b. Identify the main flaw in the construction of this figure.
There are gaps.
c. What are the main results displayed in the figure?
Broad distribution in protein similarity (5-100%). More proteins tend to have
higher % similarity than lower (since there is a left skew). Most proteins tend to
have between ~60-80% similarity.
d. Describe the shape of the frequency distribution. Skewed left
e. What is the mode in the frequency distribution? 70% similarity

2.24. Each of the following graphs illustrates an association between two variables. For
each graph, identify (1) the type of graph, (2) the explanatory and response
variables, and (3) the type of data (whether numerical or categorical) for each
variable.

a. Taste sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) in a sample of human subjects grouped
according to their genotype at the PTC gene---namely, AA, Aa, or aa
(1) Grouped Histogram
(2) Explanatory: Genotype (Categorical)
Response: Taste Sensitivity score (Numerical)





b. Migratory activity (hours of nighttime restlessness) of young captive Blackcaps (Sylvia
atricapilla) compared with the migratory activity of their parents.
(1) Scatterplot
(2) Explanatory: parent hours (numerical)
Response: offspring hours (numerical)
NOTE: from the question, it is not clear which variable is explanatory and which is
response. You could make a case for either one. Looking at the graph, we can see that
migratory activity of parents is the explanatory variable in this study since that is the
variable on the x-axis (Typically, the response variable is on the vertical (y) axis, and
explanatory variable is on the horizontal (x) axis).




c. Density of fine roots in Monterey pines (Pinus radiata) planted in three different years
of study.
(1) Grouped Cumulative Frequency distribution
(2) Explanatory: year (categorical)
Response: Root density (numerical)




d. Frequency of injection-heroin users that share or do not share needles according to
their known HIV infection status.
(1) Grouped Bar graph
(2) Explanatory: HIV status (categorical)
Response: Needle sharing (categorical)
NOTE: from the question, it is not clear which variable is explanatory and which is
response. You could make a case for either one. Looking at the graph, we can see that
HIV status is the explanatory variable in this study since it is on the x-axis.