Category : Statistical Questions

When you are studying a new subject or topic, you should be afraid to ask questions as stupid or silly they may be. The reality is that if there is something that statistics make a lot of people feel is that they’re not that smart. Ultimately, we have to say that learning statistics for the same time may b a bit overwhelming. Nevertheless, people don’t want to show that they’re not understanding stuff. And this is quite common among statistics students. However, you should really ask questions even though it may seem that you are asking silly statistics questions. 

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The Wisdom of Asking Silly Statistics Questions

While you may think you are asking silly statistics questions and that you’re probably the only one who doesn’t get it, this is probably very far away from the truth. The reality is that most people prefer to keep their questions and doubts for themselves than to look “stupid”. But this isn’t how you evolve, this isn’t the right way to learning at all. 

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#1: It’s Safe To Ask Questions:

Ultimately, when you are in a statistics class, then go ahead and start asking silly statistics questions. You can be sure that many other students are struggling exactly with the same subject but they’re just too afraid to ask. No one will “eat you alive” just because you are trying to learn. This is actually a good thing. You want more knowledge, you want to develop your skills. 

#2: What Seems Basic At First Time Often Isn’t:

The reality is that it is normal to ask around when you’re learning a new subject. And more often than not, a topic or a question that may seem to have an obvious answer doesn’t. One of the most important things in data analysis is context. 

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#3: Even If You Ask A Basic Question, A Review Is Always Helpful:

While it is normal that you perform simple calculations since you do it every single day without even noticing, the reality is that there are things that you just don’t remember when you don’t use them often. 

As a statistics student, you are learning a wide range of different subjects and topics. And there are certain things that you may not remember anymore. And this is perfectly fine. 

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#4: There Are No Silly Questions:

For younger students in a classroom, it is normal for some to start laughing when a colleague asks a question that is silly to them. However, as we grow older, we start realizing that questions will always be on our minds. And this is a great thing. After all, you only have questions when you are trying to understand a new topic and you just can’t seem to pass that point. So, ultimately, you are trying to learn more. There are absolutely no silly questions. There are questions that are simpler or basic, and there are others that are more complicated or that have, at least, a more complicated answer. 

One of the basic concepts that you need to understand where you are dealing with statistics is that you are basically studying variability. The reality is that when you ask a question, the answer will be given by data that varies. And this is when it is important to make the clear distinction between statistical questions and non-statistical questions.

Simply put, a statistical question can only be answered when you collect data that varies. While we understand that some people may not have any problems understanding the concept, the truth is that it is always better to present examples. So, we decided to show you a couple of statistical questions examples so that you can fully understand the difference between statistical questions and non-statistical questions.

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Let’s take a look at the following questions and see which ones are statistical questions examples and which ones are non-statistical questions examples.

#1: How old is your dog?

This is a non-statistical question. Why? The question can be answered by a single number and by collecting data that will vary.

#2: How many days are in March?

Again, this is a non-statistical question. The number of days that a month has doesn’t vary throughout time. In addition, all you need to do is to count the days that March has to get the answer.

#3: How many bricks are in this wall?

This is another question that is clearly non-statistical. After all, it is asking how many bricks a particular wall has and all you need to do is to count the number of bricks that it includes. The answer to the question is a single number and you won’t answer the question by collecting data that varies.

#4: What is the proportion of students at your school that like watermelons?

This is the first statistical question example that we have so far. In order to discover the proportion of the students who like watermelon at your school, you need to collect data first. And this data will vary since there will be students who like watermelon and others who hate it.

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#5: Do you like watermelons?

A similar question to the previous one but, in this case, is a non-statistical question. The truth is that you either like or dislike watermelons. It is a single answer that won’t involve the collection of data.

#6: What was the temperature at noon today at City Hall?

This question can cause some doubts. However, you just need to look at how it is formulated so that you can discover if this is one of the statistical questions examples or not.

If you take a closer look at the question, it is asking the exact temperature at a specific time, in a specific place. So, there is no variability in the results and you don’t need to do any data collection. However, if the question was “what will the temperature be at noon at City Hall tomorrow?”, this was already a statistical question. After all, you needed to collect data that would vary depending on the previous temperatures, humidity, among others.

#7: On average, how old are the dogs that live on this street?

This is another statistical question example. In order to answer this question, you will need to collect the data and the data will vary. Not all dogs are the same age.

In case you never noticed, we keep labeling everything when we are talking about math. Just think about it. Consider the number 1, for example. What can you say about it? The number 1 is a positive number, is a whole number, is an integer, among a lot of other things. And the same happens when you look at a function too. So, it is normal that when you look at questions, that they have their own labels as well. And this is where the question what is a statistical question arises.

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So, what is a statistical question?

Simply put, a statistical question is a question that you make that you know, beforehand, that it won’t have one single answer. The truth is that when you ask a statistical question, you should expect to get a wide variety of answers. So, your final answer will depend on the tendency and distribution of the different answers that you got.

In case you need a more practical example to understand the difference between a statistical question and a non-statistical question, just take these questions:

• How tall are you? – this is a non-statistical question since you expect to get only one single answer.
• How tall ate the students in your college? – this is a statistical question.

Another thing that is common in statistical questions is that the answer will depend on the situation. How? Let’s find out.

Here are two simple statistical questions:

#1: How much water do people need to drink to stay hydrated?

While we all know that we need to drink water to remain hydrated, the amount of water that each one of us needs to drink depends on a wide range of factors. From your age to your height, the weight, among so many more. So, our answer to this statistical answer would be that each person needs to drink between 6 and 8 cups of water every day.

#2: How fast do cheetahs usually run?

The answer to this statistical question will also need to be put in a range. After all, even though we all know that cheetahs can run incredibly fast, some are faster than others. Just think about the differences between genres or the age of the cheetahs, for example. So, we can then only say that cheetahs can run about 70 miles per hour.

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So, how can you say, without any doubt, if a question is statistical or non-statistical?

The truth is that in order for a question to be considered as a statistical question, it needs to meet 4 criteria or requirements:

#1: Specific Topic Or Focus:

In order for a question to be considered a statistical question, it needs to contain a specific topic.

#2: Population:

We can simply define population as the specific group of individuals to whom the statistical question is going to be asked.

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#3: Specific Number Of Options:

In order for a question to be considered statistical, it needs to have a specific number of options to choose from – they should be between 5 and 10.

#4: Specific Options:

The last factor that needs to be taken into account for a question to be statistical is that it needs to have numerical results. After all, these can be easily shown in a graph as well as interpreted and identified.