Lesson 1: Understand Statistical Questions6.DS.1

I can…

I can tell the difference between a statistical question and a non-statistical question.

Key words

• Statistical Questions and Data — Questions that have many answers, and the facts you collect.
• Statistical Question — A question with answers that change from person to person.
• Non-statistical Question — A question with only one answer.
• Data — Facts and numbers you collect.
• Variability — How far apart the numbers are.
• Survey — Ask people questions to get facts.
• Data distribution — Where the values sit and how far apart they are.
• Dot plot — A number line with one dot for each value.

Steps

1. Question 1: "How many points did our top player score last night?" There is one player and one game, so there is one fixed answer, like 18 points.
2. One answer, no variety, so this is NOT a statistical question.
3. Question 2: "How many points does each player score per game?" The answers vary: 8, 12, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22.
4. Because the answers are different for different players, I must collect data. This IS a statistical question.

Try it

Maya wants to learn about the families on her street. Which of these is a statistical question?

Check your answer

How many pets does each family on Maya's street have?

"How many pets does each family on Maya's street have?" is statistical because different families have different numbers of pets — the data has variability.

Sentence starter

I know ___ because ___.

Goal: I can explain my reasoning using the words statistical question, data, variability, and survey.