Probability and Statistics

Activity 11: A Foot is a Foot–Or is It?

65

4.Now enter the data into a list (L1), and then find the mean.

a.Display the List editor.

3

b.If necessary, clear L1.

$ to highlight L1

: b

c.Starting from the first line in L1, enter each length. (You’ll get an error if L1 is still highlighted.) Remember to press b after each entry.

d.Find the mean of the data in L1.

(1)Return to the Home screen.

-l

(2)Access the - v MATH menu and select mean.

-v " " [ (pastes mean( to the Home screen)

(3)Calculate the mean.

-v b (selects L1)

E b

5.Ask students to analyze their data:

Was your mean from L1 the same as the mean from the Home screen?

Did everyone find the same average foot size in their survey? Why or why not?

Would our results be more accurate if we combined the class data?

How can we combine the data?

Should we combine all the lengths and then find the mean, or could we combine all the means and find the mean of that? Would we get the same answer both ways?

© 1998 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED