26 Advanced Print f Experimental Design an Dal Anahst and water each day. REVIEWING BAGIC CONCEPTS. recorded the heigh Before students can ly analyze data, they must be able to identify the basic compo nents of an experiment and to draw an experi dependent research Chapters fandamentl ed the effects of different concen- ical X on the growth of tomato TYPEG OF DATA describe the variables, cscs, nd number of repeated ‘are applied, then tomato pla opants 0 planes —_I Vows Data standard scale with equal system of measuremet bers. Examples of qu: number of peop! discrete quaatiative amples below, and exp 97), graphic presentations differ. Discrete Qvatative Data E eo i d | = 4 based on the zer0 point of the mea this chapter, the same statis: Ihe used with continuovs and Analysing Uxperiental ala 87 {Quantitative data can be further subdivided scale cd cle, changes in water temperature from 90 10 95. ‘egrees and from 60 to 65 degrees represent the in heat energy same amount of apt traphical techniques are used wi ferval data, Mathematieally, howev Qu: ‘The categories may be discrete ber” et categor renter and may be based on a literature review ‘or reflect a synthesis of many observations madeDECCRIBING DATA Statisticians describe a set of data in two general hey compute a measure of central the one number that is most typ (ofthe entire set of data. Second, se dat. Beeause the types of scales used to collect quantitative and data difer, the appr ff central tendency and variation also differ (see J rasewes of Central Tondoney “Thee different measures of eeneal tendency are vailable—the mean, median, and mode, The level ‘of measurement of the data determines which measure is appropriate, Definitions and proce lures for calculating the mean, median, and mode ae given next ‘MODE: ‘The value ofthe variable chat occurs most often Its used for daa at the nominal Fnterval, or ratio levels. If ewo or more va ter tein having the most case, report them as modes. Examples: MeDian: The middle value, afterall of the ceases have been rank ordered from highest to fof the eases fall above the median below. nal data Examples: 7 5 10 6 5 10 5 1 3 cid = 7 ‘ 9 7 3 9 5 Median =5 Median= 11.5 4 Median =7 the individual values tases The mean can only be ealulated for inter valor ato data the most yp or central value? the vadation oF speed? Frequency dstibution mu pee dnc ons daqunn Bn038 39109 ‘ua a ezqoo Jo vonngunsip xp mou 2900, 11 pur ot ssndny wr page ap aye sounseaw as Tuto] 0} s2unpas01g ‘uontaap paepueis pur 3508 ea 9 i ore dno Jano punozl 0031p 35049 swede ynojea deus sauapnat pesueapy "paz ‘rosaya moj 20 utd Ayfessu38 a “hen 20j uonezes jo saunseaw yoyo ppanos8 pas aup uy ssoxraioy 4p 5 a Z| 0 i z aE pal at thay ° gl i 2 2 ba ? git E Bosses he ag | at i j | i Teeessseaey 2. Mean = : =Bes Man = B24 Men = DEWEEATET ESS the mess, median, and mode ean be c the most powerful measure of central tendency it fe generally reported for ratio and interval data “THe exceptions are those sets of data in which there ates few extreme values that would distort the mesa; chen the median or mode may be a Inoce accurate measure of central tendency. For ‘Ordinal data, both a median and a mode can be Caleulated. Flowever the median is generally re~ ported as the more powerful statistic. The mode Pete only appropriate measure of central ten x foe nominal data ‘Measures of Variation ieally compute averages, Because students 0 iar wth the concept of central they are more tendeney than Analysing EperimantalDats 89 ddta, Simple measures of variation are the range for a set of quantitative data and the frequency distribution for a set of qualicative daca, The range is computed by finding the difference be ueen the stallest (eninionum) and the largest (maximum) measures of the dependent variable, for example, plane height. Although this value is cary to calculate, students fequently do not com prehend its importance. For example, wo experi rental groups may have equivalent means yet be ferent, Consider John’s data on 25 tomato ‘plants grown with a eed ground cover and 25 t0- fo plants grown without a ground cover. 1 nea round cover | Mean Height 150m Range height ro0%m Maxima gest plant) Mean Height Rangein height 20cm Maximum (lrgest plan) 16cm oem Number 25 plants [Although the means or average heights ofthe groups were equivalent, the plants cL much frown with the red ground cover exhi treater variation Frequeney Distribution 10 calculate than ion is described through a fre- ution thae depts the number of rach category ofthe variable, for toes produced withFigure 83 Median Leaf Quality for Pants Exposed to Various of Chemical X Jeane DECICIONS ABOUT DESCRIPTIVE STATISTIC AND RAPHE point, students should be able to sa [sbermenthelevel have meaning. An the sus i "ABLE 87 Hinges st nei ies Coe Range ‘usta Mode Frequency | Bar Graph (mesians) (oeainat Median | ditrvaton | Frequency distibuton uattatve Mode Frequency | Frequency dstribution (vomina) ‘dembution Dice ‘Quanttatie | Mode Range "ar Graph (Continous | Meslan ‘decret) Mean ‘Quatatve Mode Frequency | Bar Graph (medians) (exginat Medion | istibution | Frequency distribution ‘ualtatve Mode Frequency | Frequency dsibution (vorioa deeibuton 1 ie ata sec Sag einer nd ender ales and once te 2 Wie sentences comparing the messures of ental tendency (means) of the groups. the independent and dependent variables. anda reference to tables imode or median) ofthe groups. Oescb te purpose, mar fds a xpnaton fhe ring nd mcaneendans ‘study. Use six questions to guide how you write the conclusion: