Week 2 · Suggested 60–90 minutes · First-pass draft
The distribution hiding behind an average
Using the synthetic waiting times from the bootstrap lesson, produce a responsible descriptive statistical report and explain what the long tail changes.
Applied assignment, not a stored grade. Instructions and model checks are provided for self-study or instructor adaptation. Work is not transmitted to this site.
What you will do
- Use [4,5,6,6,7,8,9,9,11,13,18,39] minutes, stating explicitly that these are synthetic values.
- Calculate mean, median, sample standard deviation, Q1, Q3, and the interquartile range under the type-7 convention.
- Draw a histogram at two bin widths and note which features remain and which visual features move.
- Explain whether the mean or median better describes a typical wait and why reporting both might be useful.
What to submit
One table of summaries, two labeled graphics, and a 250-word interpretation with one caveat.
Self-check before finishing
The mean is 11.25 minutes, and the outlying 39-minute observation pulls it above the median.
Assigned reading
Inspect raw records, summarize center and spread, and construct honest graphics.
- Lesson 4: data cleaning and documentation
- Lesson 5: center and spread
- Lesson 6: visualizing distributions
- Lesson 7: quantiles and outliers
- Lesson 8: ethical statistical graphics
Instructor discussion guidance
Check that the learner reports units and does not silently delete the long wait.
Print a predict–experiment–explain worksheet → · Open browser R →