Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, view the Variation 1: Introduction and Quartiles video by clicking the image below (Links to an external site.).
In this video, the professor discusses how sometimes what is interesting about a data set is not its average but how much it varies. He compares the weather in New York and San Francisco, which have similar average annual temperatures, even though New York has hot summers and cold winters and San Francisco has similar temperatures year-round. Quartiles as a measure of variation are explored by using the price of food on take-out menus.
Respond to one of the following options in your initial post, citing at least one specific credible source in support. Question on credible sources? See the Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.).
Option 1
Other than temperature, state three examples where similar averages are associated with very different distributions.
Go deeper with one, and discuss how that might work in more detail.
Option 2
State one practical use of variation related to health statistics.
Briefly discuss its implications.
Option 3: For many years, the New York subway had no air conditioning on the grounds that the average trip was only 15 minutes, and 15 minutes without air conditioning is no hardship, even in the New York summer.
Critique this reasoning.
Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length.
