Preview - Sampling Distributions 2021

Sampling Distributions on a larger scale

What you created on the previous page was the sampling distribution of AP scores for that group of 4 students. You took all six possible samples (n=2) from a population of four students (N=4). Sampling distributions are an important concept in Statistics and understanding what they are is the key to everything we do for the rest of the year.

A sampling distribution shows all possible samples of size n taken from a population of size N. In real-life scenarios, we don't create the entire sampling distribution by hand, or even using a computer, because our population is much larger (or it's size is unknown).  For illustrative purposes we will use a NetLogo model to simulate taking samples of AP Statistics exam scores from last year. There were 48 students in our classes last year, and we’ll take samples of 2 students at a time.

Here's the new scenario: 

 

 

 

Questions

Please answer the questions below.

Click "setup" and then "collect sample". What did the model do?

Press the "collect sample" button 30 times. Drag the word "Mean" from the table to the horizontal axis of the empty graph. The graph is starting to take shape, but it cannot be called a sampling distribution yet... Why not?

A school administrator took a sample of 2 AP statistics students and found their average AP test score to be 1.5. Based on that sample, the Administrator is claiming that the mean test score for all AP stats students at ETHS is 1.5. Do you have substantial evidence to refute their claim? You just created a statistical model - use it to explain to the administrator that their estimate is probably wrong.

What was wrong with the administrator's sample?

Notes

These notes will appear on every page in this lesson so feel free to put anything here you'd like to keep track of.