AP Statistics Summer Assignment

Welcome to AP Statistics! This course is like no other mathematics course in that the
emphasis is placed on your ability to think, reason, explain, and support as opposed to
performing rudimentary computations. The purpose of this Summer Assignment is to
familiarize yourself with the following topics:

Descriptive Statistics:
o Mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, range, quartile 1, quartile
3, minimum, and maximum.
Statistical Displays:
o Box-and-whisker plot, bar graph, and stem-and-leaf plot
Elementary Probability and Logic

The summer assignment is composed of three parts.

1. Autobiographical Essay entitled Special Problem 0. This is a biographical essay to

help prepare you for the writing that is involved in this course. Please read the instructions
for this assignment. It will be graded based on a rubric.

2. Vocabulary of Statistics: Write a one sentence definition for each of the vocabulary
words. It is recommended that you use online sources to complete this assignment. A
great site to use for a resource is www.stattrek.com. On the left hand side of the page, there
is a browse box. Click AP Statistics under the TUTORIALS heading.

3. Practice Problems: After reading all the material, you should be able to complete the
questions in the remaining pages of the packet. You should do so in the spaces provided.

Upon your return to school in September, you are expected to turn in this packet completed
the second day of class. You are expected to complete each part of the problems and
construct all data displays neatly. This assignment will be graded for correctness.
There will also be a quiz or test within the first 3 weeks of class on the material in this
packet. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at Alison.morgan@lcps.org.
Helpful hints for the course:

This is as much a writing course as it is a math course. Explaining in

complete thoughts (sentences) is required on this assignment and
throughout the course. Often, questions will require you to comment on what
your graph tells you (so again, write clearly and in complete sentences when
applicable).

I strongly suggest you have your own calculator to use at home. Though
there are several on the market, it is highly recommended that you have a
Texas Instrument graphing calculator (specifically the TI-84 Plus Silver
Edition) as this is the calculator that I will be using in teaching the material.
Calculators will be provided for classroom use only but there will be many
assignments at home that will require use of a calculator.

Stay on top of your assignments and do not wait until the last minute to get
started

Purchasing a resource book will help prepare for the AP exam

AP Statistics: Are You Serious About Getting A 5?

5 Steps to a 5: AP Statistics

Expectations

This is a college-level course that you have chosen to take. The material is extremely
relevant to almost all aspects of life, and can be fun to learn. We strongly expect you to
put forth a strong, consistent effort. You must be an active participant in the course. This
means that you must be willing to work with me and your fellow classmates often during
the year. It is also expected that you put forth the extra effort to stay current and on top of
the material.
 Part 1- Special Problem 0

Your first Special Problem is to write an essay on the computer, using a word processing
package of your choice. The length of the essay must be one full page. (Note: A partial page
will not suffice and it may not be hand written.)

Content.
First paragraph: should be a brief autobiographical statement about yourself that will help
me get to know you. What are your likes and dislikes? Who are your role models? What
makes you unique?

Second paragraph; tell me something you remember from a previous math course. It can be
a particularly good experience or a particularly bad experience. Or describe a math teacher
youve had who stood out in some way.

Third paragraph, tell me about your plans for college. If you are thinking about a particular
major, tell me about that and why you are interested in that field. Alternatively, tell me
about possible career interests in general terms.

Fourth paragraph , tell me something about this statistics course. Possible areas to address:
Why are you taking AP Statistics? Is statistics an important tool in the field of study you are
considering? Have you had any previous connection with statistics? Can you give an
example from the real world where statistics is or has been important to you personally?

Requirements. In order to demonstrate knowledge and facility with certain features of

your word processor, after you finish writing your paper, I want you to:

1. Change the font to Cambria (if this is not available on your computer, use a simple
newspaper-type font like the one you are reading). Make your font size 12 points.

2. Create a title page that includes the following: Name, Date you typed it on, Title of the
essay: AP Statistics Special Problem 0

3. Insert the following paragraph headings, in order: Biographical, Retrospective, College,

AP Statistics, like the paragraph headings I have used in the Content section. Underline
and bold these headings.

4. Number your page at the bottom of the page, centered.

5. Each of the paragraphs must be single spaced but double spaced between each section.

6. Before you print the final copy, make sure you proofread your paper on the screen, and
then check it for spelling and syntax.

Grading. I will evaluate you on: following instructions, computer facility, spelling, grammar
and syntax, general interest, and whether your report was submitted on time.
Special Problem 0 Assessment Sheet Name:________________________________

Code:

4 Excellent
3 Good
2 Satisfactory
1 Unsatisfactory

General
Followed instructions for the investigation:

1 2 3 4 Format of title page is as specified

1 2 3 4 Format of Special Problem 0 is as specified
1 2 3 4 Single-space within paragraphs; double-space between paragraphs.
1 2 3 4 Length is correct (one complete page).
1 2 3 4 Report is grammatically correct and free of all spelling errors.
1 2 3 4 Report avoids slang and clichs.
1 2 3 4 Report is clear and unambiguous.
1 2 3 4 Report was submitted on time
1 2 3 4 Report had the correct headings before each paragraph.
1 2 3 4 All content questions answered

TOTAL: ______________________________

Comments:
 Part 2: Vocabulary of Statistics

Please define each of the following terms from the information on the stattrek website.
Words in blue can be clicked on for more information. When asked to provide a unique
example of sketch of the word, do not use the one that is given on the website!

1. Categorical Variables:

Example:

2. Quantitative Variables:

Example:

3. Discrete Variables:

4. Continuous variables:

5. Univariate Data:

6. Bivariate Data:

7. Population:

Example:

8. Sample:

Example:
9. Mean:

Formula:

10. Median:

11. Mode:

12. Range:

13. Standard deviation:

Formula:

14. Variance:

Formula:

15. Quartiles:

16. Interquartile Range:

17. Boxplots:

18. Outlier:

19. Center:
20. Spread:

21. Symmetry:

22. Unimodal:

Sketch:

23. Bimodal:

Sketch:

24. Gaps:

25. Skewness:

Skewed left: Skewed right

26. Dot plots

27. Bar Chart

28. Histogram:

29. Stem plots

30. Parameter:

31. Statistics:
 Part 3: Practice Problems

Categorical or Quantitative

Determine if the variables listed below or quantitative or categorical:

1. Time it takes to go to school

2. Number of people under 18 living in a household
3. Hair color
4. Temperature of a cup of coffee
5. Teacher salaries
6. Gender
7. Smoking
8. Height
9. Amount of oil spilled
10. Age of Oscar winners
11. Football jersey number
12. Jellybean flavors
13. Country of origin
14. Type of meat
15. Number of shoes owned

Data Analysis

A statistic is a number calculated from data. Quantitative data has many statistics that can
be calculated. Determine the given statistics from the data below concerning the age