Distribution of the Sample Proportion            Name: __________

 

Remember the worksheet for which you rolled dice?  The point of the worksheet was to examine the sampling distribution of the sample mean.  That’s why I had you generate several samples (of dice rolls) and calculate the sample mean for each sample – so we could see how these sample means vary.  Now I want to do the same thing for a different statistic: the sample proportion.  So I want you to generate several samples (of coin spins this time), and calculate the sample proportion (of heads) in each sample – so we can see how these sample proportions vary.  Get ready for more tedium!

 

First, I want to make sure you understand the spinning process.  You must give the penny lots of rotational momentum, and it must come to rest without hitting anything.  The former requires that you don’t just give the coin a little twist with your wrist, but that you hold the penny on edge with one finger and flick it with your other finger – as if place-kicking a football, sort of.  The latter requires a large, flat, hard surface.  If the penny hits anything before coming to rest, disregard that attempt.

 

Believe it or not, pennies spun in this fashion are not equally likely to land heads up and tails up.  I’ll explain why after we collect the data.  Please use a penny from the 1960’s; 1961 and 1962 are ideal to bring out this effect.  Record the year of the penny that you use: ______

 

For now, I’d like you to generate three samples of 10 spins each, and three samples of 20 spins each.  Then calculate the proportion of heads in each of those samples.  (The sample proportions should be multiples of 0.1 in the samples of 10, and multiples of 0.05 in the samples of 20.)

 

             spin:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

prop. of H’s

sample 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sample 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sample 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             spin:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

prop.  H’s

sample1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sample2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sample3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, I want you to draw three random samples of 20 students from the 1995 Witt New Student population, listed on the back of this sheet, and record the proportion of students from Ohio in each of your three samples.  (Be sure to use three-digit numbers in your randomization.)

 

 

proportion from Ohio

sample 1

 

sample 2

 

sample 3

 



  001 IN

 002 OH

 003 IN

 004 IL

 005 OH

 006 OH

 007 OH

 008 IL

 009 OH

 010 OH

 011 OH

 012 OH

 013 XX

 014 OH

 015 OH

 016 OH

 017 PA

 018 OH

 019 OH

 020 IN

 021 OH

 022 IL

 023 IN

 024 OH

 025 OH

 026 OH

 027 OH

 028 OH

 029 OH

 030 XX

 031 OH

 032 NJ

 033 OH

 034 MA

 035 MI

 036 OH

 037 OH

 038 OH

 039 KY

 040 OH

 041 TN

 042 OH

 043 IL

 044 TX

 045 OH

 046 OH

 047 OH

 048 OH

 049 OH

 050 ME

 051 OH

 052 OH

 053 OH

 054 OH

 055 NE

 056 OH

 057 OH

 058 OH

 059 OH

 060 MI

 061 OH

 062 MD

 063 OH

 064 OH

 065 KY

 066 IL

 067 OH

 068 XX

 069 OH

 070 OH

 071 OH

 072 OH

 073 OH

 074 OH

 075 OH

 076 PA

 077 CT

 078 OH

 079 OH

 080 DE

 081 OH

 082 OH

 083 IL

 084 OH

 085 MI

 086 OH

 087 MI

 088 TN

 089 OH

 090 OH

 091 MN

 092 CT

 093 OH

 094 OH

 095 MI

 096 OH

 097 XX

 098 OH

 099 OH

 100 NC

 101 OH

 102 OH

 103 CT

 104 XX

 105 OH

 106 KY

 107 OH

 108 OH

 109 OH

 110 IL

 111 IN

 112 DC

 113 OH

 114 OH

 115 OH

 116 OH

 117 OH

 118 OH

 119 UT

 120 OH

 121 MA

 122 OK

 123 OH

 124 XX

 125 OH

 126 MD

 127 IN

 128 OH

 129 OH

 130 NJ

 131 OH

 132 OH

 133 XX

 134 IL

 135 MI

 136 NY

 137 MI

 138 OH

 139 OH

 140 OH

 141 XX

 142 OH

 143 IL

 144 OH

 145 KY

 146 VA

 147 OH

 148 OH

 149 OH

 150 OH

 151 XX

 152 OH

 153 IL

 154 MN

 155 OH

 156 OH

 157 OH

 158 OH

 159 GA

 160 SC

 161 MN

 162 OH

 163 OH

 164 OH

 165 OH

 166 PA

 167 OH

 168 OH

 169 OH

 170 OH

 171 OH

 172 OH

 173 OH

 174 OH

 175 OH

 176 OH

 177 IL

 178 OH

 179 OH

 180 OH

 181 NC

 182 OH

 183 OH

 184 FL

 185 OH

 186 OH

 187 OH

 188 OH

 189 OH

 190 OH

 191 IN

 192 OH

 193 OH

 194 OH

 195 OH

 196 OH

 197 OH

 198 OH

 199 TN

 200 CA

 201 MI

 202 OH

 203 KY

 204 IL

 205 IN

 206 OH

 207 CT

 208 OH

 209 FL

 210 OH

 211 OH

 212 IN

 213 OH

 214 OH

 215 IL

 216 XX

 217 OH

 218 OH

 219 IN

 220 OH

 221 NY

 222 PA

 223 OH

 224 MI

 225 NY

 226 MI

 227 OH

 228 IL

 229 MO

 230 PA

 231 NY

 232 OH

 233 OH

 234 OH

 235 XX

 236 FL

 237 OH

 238 OH

 239 OH

 240 OH

 241 OH

 242 XX

 243 OH

 244 OH

 245 XX

 246 NE

 247 NY

 248 MI

 249 OH