Assignment 1 - Descriptive
Statistics
Data
Choose a variable that is
of interest to you. The variable should be international in
nature. Gather data on that variable subject
to the limitations given below.
Limitations:
- The data must be as
current as possible.
- There must be at
least 30 observations.
- There must be some
logical reason for the number of observations
that you choose.
Ex. - If you
are using data for the developing countries of Asia, you should use data for
all 41 countries who are members of the Asian Development Bank..
Ex. - If you
are using quarterly data, you should use data for
eight years (32 quarters).
Ex. - If you
are using monthly data, you should use data for three
years (36 months).
However, it is
appropriate to start at the beginning of a year and
end with the most recent data:
Ex. - January 2001 to August
2003 = 32 months
Analysis
Use a spreadsheet program
to do the following:
- Represent the data
with an ordered array, a stem-and-leaf display, a frequency
distribution, a cumulative percentage distribution, and a
histogram.
- Calculate the
measures of central tendency (mean, median, and
mode) for your data.
- Calculate the
measures of variation (variance, standard
deviation, range, interquartile range, and
coefficient of variation) for your data.
Calculate the first two measures twice; once as
if the data were a sample, and once as if they
were a population.
- Do a complete
analysis of the skewness of the data, including
the mean vs. median comparison, the five-number
summary approach, and a box-and-whiskers plot.
Output
Please submit the
following by Monday, September 8:
- The variable that you
are going to examine.
- Whether the variable
is time-series or cross-section.
- The time frame (if
time-series) or units (if cross-section) for your
data.
Please submit the
following by Monday, September 15:
- A transmittal memo
summarizing your results
- A print out of the
computer results
If the output is a hard
copy, it should be typed on 8 ½ x 11 or A4 paper. The
output may also be submitted as an e-mail message or
attachment.
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