My stAtsiNvestigAtion 1

SELECT A MEANINGFUL PROBLEM → GATHER DATA → SUMMARIZE THE DATA → ANALSYE THE DATA → USE INFORMATION TO INFORM DECISIONS

Setting up your investigation

Each pair needs to make their own investigation and collect two types of data. One from a survey, and one from measurements.

  1. Measurements:

What data will you collect?

Each pair will select their own data type for collection. For ideas of the types of data you could collect go to following page. There are plenty of examples and ideas to select from or you can select an idea of your own, HOWEVER, it must meet the following criteria.

a)The data must be numerical (numbers not categorical such as asking people their favourite afl team)

b)There must be at least two data sets collected to compare the impact of varying one condition. Eg: collect measurements of all year 9 students throwing a 2 kg shot put, repeating it by varying the weight of the shot (1kg or 3 kg)

c)The task must enable a suitable amount of data to be collected

  1. Survey:

What data will you collect?

Each pair will select their own data type for collection.

It must meet the following criteria:

a)There must be a variety of different data collected. Including numerical and categorical data

b)Different types of questions need to be used. Including open-ended and closed.

c)Data needs to have a range of responses. (at least 20 respondents)

Before starting the investigation

Have you decided:

  1. How you will collect the data?
  2. How you will record the data?
  3. How much data you will collect?
  4. How many data sets?
  5. How much time you will need to collect the data? Answers to each of these questions must be provided before you begin collecting data.

Investigation ideas

  • Transport
  • How old are the cars on the road?
  • Cycling injuries: Helmets, do they make a difference?
  • Who uses which forms of transport and why?
  • Sport
  • Do fit people sweat more than unfit people?
  • Can the winner of a rugby match be picked at halftime?
  • How do resting and standing pulse rates vary across age and gender?
  • Science
  • Does buttered bread always land buttered side down?
  • How does the boiling point of water change with concentration of dissolved salt?
  • What factors determine the coefficient of friction?
  • Are extra-life batteries worth the extra expense?
  • How do plant germination times vary under different conditions?
  • How does the level of ant activity change with temperature?
  • How fast do cups of water lose their heat?
  • Do bananas keep better in the fridge wrapped in foil, cling wrap, or in a natural state?
  • Does fruit ripen faster when placed in a paper bag with bananas? Does this work with all fruits, or just some?
  • Psychology
  • Does reaction time vary with age?
  • How does short term memory retention vary across various groups?
  • Marketing
  • Do generic brands taste different?
  • Can people distinguish amongst brands of tea/coffee/cola by taste alone?
  • Are opinions affected by advertising?
  • How knowledgeable are people about nutrition?
  • Behaviour
  • How much do people eat?
  • At what age do people take up smoking?
  • How much do teenagers drink?
  • How do homework habits vary with grade/sex/type of school?
  • Do people prefer Cola poured from a Coke or Pepsi bottle? (In fact, unknown to them, both bottles contain a generic brand.)
  • Opinions
  • What subjects should be taught in schools?