Correlation Activity

AP STATISTICS | Bivariate Data: Correlation    

Have you ever wondered whether tall people have longer arms than short people? We'll explore this question by collecting data on two variables -- height and arm span (measured from left fingertip to right fingertip). 1. Collect measurements (in centimeters) for the heights and arm spans of your classmates. 2. Construct a scatter plot using graphing technology. Judging from the scatter plot, does there appear to be a positive association between arm span and height? That is, does an increase in arm span generally lead to an increase in height? 3. Compute a one-variable summary statistics on arms span and height. 4. Is your arm span and height above the average? 5. How many observations have above-average arm spans? 6. How many observations have above-average heights? 7. Is it possible to divide all observations into four categories: above-average arm span and aboveaverage height; above-average arm span and below-average height; below-average arm span and above average height; and below-average arm span and below-average height? How many of your classmates fall into each category? Construct a 2 by 2 table to present your counts as percentages. 8. Use the TI-83/84 lists to compute the correlation coefficient to describe the linear association between arm span and height for your data.