WLHS / AP Bio / Monson Name
Date Per
PACKET: Statistics Practice Problems - 1
This packet provides you with practice working with standard deviation and standard error for
different data sets. For extra background or review on these topics, Mr. Anderson (Bozeman Science)
has a few podcasts that will help you (links below). For review of the mean and median and their
computation, watch “Statistics for Science.” We use the Standard Deviation to compute the Standard
Error, so you can review that in “Standard Deviation.” And for a review of Standard Error, watch
“Standard Error.”
LINKS to Mr. Anderson’s Tutorials:
Statistics for Science: [Link]
Standard Deviation: [Link]
Standard Error: [Link]
DATA SET #1: You are helping out at a veterinary office with a litter of new puppies. The birth
weights of the puppies are shown below.
Table 1: Birth Weights of Puppies
Birth Order: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Puppy Weight 1.2 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.0 0.8
(lbs):
A) Calculate the mean or average birth weight for this litter of puppies.
B) Order the puppies’ birth weights from lowest to highest and calculate the median birth weight for the
litter of puppies.
C) Calculate the standard deviation of the birth weights for this litter of puppies.
D) Calculate the standard error in the birth weights for this litter of puppies.
E) Explain, in your own words, what the (slight) difference in median and mean /average means.
F) Make a (very simple) bar graph with the mean of the puppies’ birth weights. Draw the error bars
(using Standard Error) on the graph.
Review of Standard Deviation and Standard Error (of the Mean):
1) The formula for the standard deviation, S, is:
Identify what each of the following parts of the formula mean by explaining it in words:
A) n =
B) 𝑥̅ =
C) ∑ =
D) A name for the quantity n-1 is:
2) Consider the two figures / graphs below. Each shows a distribution of data with a mean, 𝑥̅ , of 5.
Which has a bigger standard deviation and WHY?
3) The formula for the standard error (of the mean) is:
Identify what each of the following parts mean by explaining it in words:
A) S =
B) n =
4) Look at the formulas for standard deviation and for standard error.
A) Explain, in words, the difference between the standard deviation and the standard error.
B) You have three data sets with the same standard deviation, S = 3.298. Data Set 1 has ten
observations in it (n=10), Data Set 2 has twenty (n=20), and Data Set 3 has fifty observations in it (n=50).
For each of these, calculate the standard error.
Data Set 1: Data Set 2: Data Set 3:
C) Explain how the standard error changes when the sample size changes (but the standard deviation
stays the same). Then, explain how the formula for the standard error justifies this change.
Further Practice:
1) In an AP Biology investigation, you and your lab partner record the following counts of stomata in
sunflower leaves:
A) Calculate the mean or average
number of stomata for these
sunflower leaves, 𝑥̅ .
B) Order the number of stomata from lowest to highest and identify the median number of stomata for
the sunflower leaves.
C) Calculate the standard deviation of the number of stomata for the sunflower leaves.
D) Calculate the standard error in the number of stomata for the sunflower leaves.
E) Make a (very simple) bar graph with the mean of the
number of stomata for the sunflower leaves.
Draw the error bars on the graph.
2) Repeat the exercises in 1 (A)-(E) for the data shown below.
A)
B)
C)
D)
E) (use graph area provided):
3) In an AP Biology investigation, three classes studied how fruit fly populations choose between two
different sources: Food A or Food B. Each pair of partners in the classes record the number of times
that Food A is chosen in preference to Food B in a total of 25 trials. The data from each pair for the
three classes is shown below. Use the data to answer the questions below.
Data Table: Fruit Fly Food Selection – Frequency of Food A Selection (each trial = sample size of 25)
A) Verify that each class’ data set has the same mean and median.
B) Based on the data given, which do you expect / predict to have a bigger standard deviation? Which
do you expect to have the smallest standard deviation? EXPLAIN you answer.
C) Find the standard deviation for each class / data set. If your answers do not match your predictions
above, make sure to go back and explain how you can predict the ranking (i.e. the smallest and largest)
standard deviations from the data that are given.
Class 1 SD =
Class 2 SD =
Class 3 SD =
4) Two different AP Biology instructors
compute the means and standard errors for
the first exam score for their two different AP
Biology classes. The means and the SE bars
are shown in the graphs. For each of the
teacher’s sets determine whether the
difference between the means of the two
classes is: (A) definitely significantly different;
(B) definitely NOT significantly different; or (C)
unknown based on the graph whether they are
significantly different or not. EXPLAIN your
answer for each teacher’s set.
