Applied Statistics Answer Key

In this activity you will collect data and then perform statistical analyses to determine
measures of central tendency and variation of the data. You will also represent the
data using a histogram.

Equipment
 Engineering notebook
 Pencil
 Dial caliper

Procedure
1. Part of the manufacturing quality control testing for a toy is to measure the depth
of a connector piece that must fit into another part. The designed depth is 4.1 cm.
Every tenth part produced on the production line is measured. The following data
was collected during a two minute production period.
4.1, 4.1, 4.0, 4.1, 3.9, 4.4, 3.9, 4.3, 4.0, 4.2, 4.0, 3.8
a. Calculate each of the following measures of central tendency. Show
your work.
∑ 𝑥𝑖 48.8
Mean: ___8.07 cm__________ μ = x̅ = = = 4.0667
n 12

Median: ____8.05 cm________

7.8, 7.9, 7.9, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 8.1, 8.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4
8.0 + 8.1
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 = = 8.05
2
Mode: _____Bimodal 8.0 cm_and 8.1 cm________
b. Calculate each of the following measures of variation for the data set.
Show your work. A table has been provided to help you calculate the
standard deviations. In the table round values in the last two columns
to four decimal places. Report the standard deviation statistics to four
decimal places.
 Range: ____0.6 cm___
Range = max – min = 8.4 – 7.8 = 0.6 cm

x x-µ (x - µ)2
7.8 -0.2667 0.0711
7.9 -0.1667 0.0278
7.9 -0.1667 0.0278
 8.0 -0.0667 0.0044
8.0 -0.0667 0.0044
8.0 -0.0667 0.0044
8.1 0.0333 0.0011
8.1 0.0333 0.0011
8.1 0.1333 0.0011
8.2 0.1333 0.0178
8.3 0.2333 0.0544
8.4 0.3333 0.1111
SUM 0.3265

 Standard Deviation of this data: ___0.17 cm_

(xi -μ)2 0.3265

σ =√ =√ = √0.0272 = 0.1650 ≈ 0.17 cm
n 12

c. Create a histogram for the data using the grid below. The horizontal
axis should display each length measurement from the minimum to
maximum recorded lengths. You may choose to begin with a dot plot
and then fill in the bars. Be sure to label your axes.

d. What class interval is appropriate for the measurement values

reported as 8.1 cm?
8.05 cm ≤ x < 8.15 cm
The class interval boundaries should include one more decimal
place than the data.

2. Compare your results to a teammate’s calculations. Make corrections to your

work as necessary.
Conclusion

1. How can statistics of a product’s dimensions be used to assess the quality of the
product?
Quality of a product can often be related to whether or not the product (or
parts of the product) is within specific limits that allow the product to
function properly. Statistics are often used in quality control of raw
materials or product output. For instance, in mass production, random
products from the production line can be inspected or measured.
Statistical analyses are performed on these measurements to determine if
the product is being produced within allowable tolerances and to indicate
when corrections in the production process are necessary.