Lauretta J. Fox
In this unit of study we will try to improve the students’ understanding of the elementary topics included in statistics. The unit will begin by discussing terms that are commonly used in statistics. It will then proceed to explain and construct frequency distributions, dot diagrams, histograms, frequency polygons and cumulative frequency polygons. Next, the unit will define and compute measures of central tendency including the mean, median and mode of a set of numbers. Measures of dispersion including range and standard deviation will be discussed. Following the explanation of each topic, a set of practice exercises will be included.
The material developed here may be used as a whole unit, or parts of it may be extracted and taught in various courses. The elementary concepts may be incorporated into general mathematics classes in grades seven to twelve, and the more difficult parts may be used in advanced algebra classes in the high school. Depending upon the amount of material used, several days or several weeks may be allotted to teach the unit.
(Recommended for General Mathematics classes, grades 7-12; Advanced Algebra classes, grades 11 and 12; and Consumer Mathematics, grades 10 and 11)
Key Words
Statistics Basic Skills Mathematics Elementary
