AP Statistics – Summer Assignment:
Congratulations! If you are reading this then that means you have signed up for one of THE BEST classes that Colonia
High School has to offer. You have signed up to demand high effort from yourself from day 1 until the AP Exam. You
have signed up to think differently about math. Finally, you have signed up to expose yourself to a specific level of class
that will better prepare you for college success. AP Statistics is different from every other class you have ever taken. AP
Statistics is a math class, a science class, a writing class, and a psychology class all in one! We will explore together and
combine many different concepts and skill sets. The following is a brief and incomplete list of those concepts/skills:
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Mathematical and computational skills
Writing ability and use of explicit language when explaining conclusions and decisions
Exact and correct interpretation of the written word
Logical reasoning
Problem solving
Abstract thought process
Modeling of real world information
Data analysis
Using probability to investigate expected outcomes of random scenarios
Extending known information to give some insight into the unknown
There are 4 parts to your summer assignment. Please work on the following list and be prepared to hand in a typed,
organized, and complete assignment for day 1 of school.
Part 1 – Define and explain [use examples if applicable] the following terms or concepts [use any resource available to
you]:
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Statistics
Quantitative Variable
Categorical Variable [AKA: Qualitative Variable]
Population
Sample [include reason(s) for taking a sample when performing a statistical analysis]
Observational Study
Statistical Experiment
Data Analysis
Measures of Center [Also define/explain each of the following - mean, median, mode, midrange]
Measures of Spread/Variation [Also define/explain each of the following - range, variance, standard deviation,
interquartile range]
Probability
Statistical Inference
Histogram
Boxplot [sometimes called a box and whisker plot] – define and explain the features of this statistical graph
Correlation and Regression [Regression is a topic that goes with correlation]
Part 2 – Answer the following questions:
1. Jamie is a computer programmer. She and all of her friends prefer to use BASIC [a computer programming
language] over C and C++. Explain why Jamie’s preference is not good evidence that most young people prefer
BASIC to C or C++.
2. An educational software company wants to compare the effectiveness of its computer animation for teaching
biology with that of a textbook presentation. The company gives a biology pretest to each of a group of high
school juniors, and then divides them into two groups. One group uses the animation and the other studies the
text. The company retests all students and compares the increase in biology test scores. Is this an experiment or
an observational study? Explain your reasoning.
3. Data from a medical study contain many different variables for each of the subjects. Which of the following
variables are categorical and which are quantitative?
a. Gender [female or male]
b. Age [years]
c. Race [Asian, black, white, or other]
d. Smoker [yes or no]
e. Systolic blood pressure [mmHg]
f. Level of calcium in the blood [micrograms per milliliter]
4. What is the probability of getting a “6” if you roll a fair six-sided die? Explain carefully what your answer means.
5.
Part 3 – Watch the following YouTube videos and construct a response about your thoughts after watching. Explain
what you feel was the message of the video and what your reaction to watching it was:
1. Why You Need to Study Statistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0Ks7aS7YI
2. Arthur Benjamin: Teach Statistics Before Calculus!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhMKmovNjvc
Part 4 – Summer Prep. Work for Day 1 of Class:
1. Try to get a graphing calculator [TI-84 or TI-83]. You will need this every day in class and most likely in any
future math class.
2. Most importantly:
a. Enjoy a relaxing summer break
b. Have fun
c. Be safe
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SCORING RUBRIC [MUST BE ATTACHED TO SUMMER ASSIGNMENT WHEN HANDED IN]:
[1 = poor; 3 = below average; 5 = average; 7 = above average; 10 = excellent]
Accuracy of Definitions in Part 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Depth of explanation for concepts in Part 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Accuracy and quality of responses in Part 2 [2 points x 5 questions = 10 possible points]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Depth of explanation for video reflections in Part 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Completion and presentation of assignment [typed and organized – something you are proud to turn in]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TOTAL = 50 points