The question of "How long can typical year X students stand on one foot with their eyes closed?" is extended to compare two different populations, perhaps boys and girls, or children and adults.
Set a question:
Can adults stand on one foot with their eyes closed longer than children?
Can girls stand on one foot with their eyes closed longer than boys?
Data collection
Refer to measurements of times collected [or outside of class using parents for data collection] in the activity Balancing Act 1.
Data representation
List and order class data by adult/child [or by girl/boy].
Create stacked dot plots for each group or a back-to-back stem-and-leaf plot (or enter into a software package).
Summarising
Compare shapes of distributions in stacked dot plots and stem-and-leaf plots.
Compare means, medians and modes.
Create and compare box-and-whisker plots for the two groups (if appropriate for year level).
Degree of certainty
What part does uncertainty play in this activity?
Would the data look the same if two other samples were used to collect data?
Drawing an informal inference
Write a report answering the question and explaining the assumptions and limitations in the analysis carried out to reach the conclusion.
Include a statement about your level of confidence in the inference made.
