"God is like a skillful geometrician." - (Sir Thomas Brown, 1605-1682) Morris Kline (passed away in the 1990's): Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at New York University, Kline exerted considerable influence on modern mathematical thought. His famous book, Why Johnny Can't Add , severely criticized the "new math" that swept the U.S. in the 1960's. A highly respected mathematics historian, he also authored Mathematics in Western Culture, Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times, and Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty. All are well worth reading!

What did Herkimer use when he was helping the government take a census of all monkeys in zoos? Answer: An ape recorder. Herky wants to know: If you need to pass a civil service exam to work for the government, why don't taxpayers have to take the test? If a salesman tells you that a purchase will "pay for itself in no time," is it OK to ask him to send it to you when it does.

ASSIGNMENT #78 Reading: Review Section 12.2, as necessary. Exercises: 12.21, 12.22 (page 682), 12.23, 12.24 (page 688), 12.25 (page 690)

You are working in Chapter 12.

This is an actual problem from the 1997 AdvancedPlacement Statistics Examination. It is stated here because itrelates to concepts presented in Chapter 12. (Problem #4, 1997AP).

A random sample of 415 potentialvoters was interviewed before the start of a state-wide campaign forgovernor; 223 of the 415 said they favored the new candidate over theincumbent. However, the new candidate made several unfortunateremarks one week before the election. Subsequently, a new randomsample of 630 voters showed that 317 voters favored the newcandidate.

Do these data support the conclusion that therewas a decrease in voter support for the new candidate after theunfortunate remarks were made? Give appropriate statistical evidenceto support your answer.

 

LINK TO SECTIONSUMMARIES

LINK TO STATISTICS HOMEPAGE

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Text:
The Practice of Statistics, by Yates, Moore, McCabe. New York,W.H. Freeman and Company, 1999. (;l 0-7167-3370-6)

Supplemental books:
The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, by Gonick and Smith. NewYork, HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. (ISBN 0-06-273102-5)
How to Lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff. New York, W.W.Norton & Company, 1982 (ISBN 0-393-09426-X)

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