Running head: Skittles

Understanding Statistics with the use of Skittles

Dominique I. Wilson
Salt Lake Community College

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Understanding Statistics with the use of Skittles

Introduction
Colorful circle shaped pieces of candy called skittles are great to enjoy as a treat
every now and then. Have you ever considered using them for a statistical project?
Skittles can be easily applied when it comes to the understanding of statistics. They can
be helpful when it comes to grasping the concepts, especially when it comes to a
hypothesis. It also shows how the formulas and graphs all tie into the concepts learned in
this course can be applied to real life situations.
For understanding and my classmates and me practical applications about
statistics. We purchased one single bag (2.17 oz.) of original flavor skittles. After we
obtained our bags of skittles, we then were required to count out and organize them into
color groupings. Next we were required to calculate our data and submit it to our math
professor, where he would combine everyones data into a large class data set. When it
came to the classes data as a whole, I created two forms of charts one is a pie chart and
the other one is a Pareto chart.

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According to my observation of the data from the pie chart and the Pareto chart, I
assumed that the amount of skittles for the class would have been a bit lower than what is being
shown, since about half of the class had dropped out in the beginning of the semester. My
hypothesis of amount skittles which were counted by myself in the classmates data, I questioned
if own bag of skittles came out to be more than the class average. I made a few graphs containing
my own skittle data compared to the rest of the classes skittle data. When it comes down to
comparing my skittle values to the classes value, and if mine was lower than the classes
average.
My person bag of skittles
Number of Red
skittles
12

Number of
Orange Skittles
2

Number of
Yellow Skittles
15

Number of
Green Skittles
13

Number of
Purple Skittles
14

Number of
Green Skittles
216

Number of
Purple Skittles
230

Classs bags of skittles

Number of Red
skittles
246

Number of
Orange Skittles
204

Number of
Yellow Skittles
200

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The
Min.

Q1

Media

Q3

Max.

Five Number

Summary
25

57

n
59

61

64

Frequency
Class
23-25
Gaps
50-52
53-55
56-58
59-61
62-64

Count
1
Gaps
0
0
1
9
4

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Histogram and Boxplot graphs.

A boxplot and a histogram graph, can be slight differently as far as showing
collective data. The data in the histogram seems to be skewed more towards the right. In
the boxplot the data per bag of skittles is also skewed to the right but only by about three
pieces of candy. In the boxplot the right skew is only off about three pieces of candy.
Which assumes that one-person bag had a few extra pieces of candies in their bag.
However, when it came to comparing the number of skittles candies the class had to my
own, I only had 56 pieces of candies. I am below the first quartile but also a large amount
above the 25 minimum in the five number summary.

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Categorical and Quantitative Data.
Comparing categorical and quantitative data, which both ways of these ways are
great for analyzing in statistics. Categorical data is a way to organize values in to groups
or different forms of categories for data. Categorical values are always considered to be
numerical however, some forms of categorical data do not have to involve a mathematical
aspect. Categorical data can be used in making sense of graphs and charts, which can
include; pie charts, Pareto charts and bar graphs. These forms of categorical data can help
a person to have a visual understanding of this information. A few examples of
categorical data can include, different shades of blues and green when it comes to shirts
or shoes. They can be broken down into smaller categories until the particular result is
found. Another example can include people who won pets and people who do not, and
these categories can be broken down even further, to what type of pet,( If a person owns a
dog or cat and so forth).
Quantitative data has a different approach when it comes to describing data, it can
be used in forms of counting or Forms of measurements. Another term for quantitative
data is the term numerical, meaning that it has to do with counting and measurements. A
good example of quantitative data can be found in measurements such as architect or how
many seconds it takes for a cheetah to run in a certain amount of time. . While
quantitative data can be used for other forms of charts and graphs. Box-plot graphs, steam
and leaf plots and scatter plots can be used to show the information of quantitative data.
Quantitative mathematical information makes more sense when it comes to see the
information in plots. It would be unachievable to do that with categorical data.

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Confidence Intervals
Confidence intervals are sets of values which can determine a set of values for a

population parameter. This is used in concluding what amount of certainty can be associated with
a simple estimate. finding a sample statistic a margin of error is how the range of a confidence
interval is found. A confidence interval allows someone to estimate a range in order to find a true
population parameter, in order to have knowledge of the population from a sample that is being
observed. When numerous samples have been done and a 95% confidence interval is determined
for every one of the samples, then 95% of the intervals would contain a population mean.
Various parameters can be calculated for confidence intervals as well.

To have a better understanding of confidence intervals, we must have a comprehension of

sampling. A Sample is a small portion from a larger set of population data. One example; when
strawberries are in season, they can vary in different sizes. We wonder how many different sizes
of strawberries are actually out there and that which would be really hard to figure out a small
amount of strawberries to use as a population. Since all samples are not all the same when it
comes to the same population, we will always get different results, since sampling error is always
going to be unavoidable.

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The 99% confidence interval was the first interval I calculated for a true proportion of
yellow candies. The answer for this confidence interval is.152<p<.212 or .212 .152. The
true proportions of yellow candies are .212 plus or minus the margin of error .152, indicating that
this outcome for this interval is 99% accuracy.

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This is the second confidence interval which also requires an estimate of 95% for the true

mean of candies pre bag. The results from this confidence interval equation is 53.60<
<61.79 or 53.60 61.79 . This means that 95% of skittles bag will fall between 53.60
plus or minus the margin of error 61.79 for the mean number of candies pre bag.

The last confidence interval was for 98% of the standard deviation of the number of
candies pre bag. The results for the standard deviation is 2.442< <3.644, since there is a
98% certainty that this result covers all bags of skittles. The standard deviation would fall
between 2,442< <3.644 whenit comes every bag of skittles which have ever been made .

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My bag of Skittles
56

The number of skittles bags in the class

19

Hypothesis Testing
Hypothesis in statistics are not the same as they would be in the sciences.
Statistical hypothesis looks more for assumptions when it comes to population
parameters. The assumptions could or could not be. In statistics hypothesis are more of a
procedure when it comes to accepting or rejecting a hypothesis test. A random sample is
made from a population and if the sample data is not constant with the hypothesis then
the hypothesis is rejected.

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The hypothesis test for the first equation was to use a 0.05 significant level to test
a claim of 20% of skittles candies are red. The alternative hypothesis is to prove that the
claim of 20% of skittles candies are red as not true. This would make this hypothesis test
a two tailed test. The findings of the test statistic are; 1.406 is less than the critical value
of 1.96 so the null hypothesis is going to be a failed reject null hypothesis. There is
enough significant evidence to support that the claim of 20% of skittle candies are in fact
red.

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In the second hypothesis test a significance level of 0.01 is to test a claim that a
mean of number of candies in a bag of skittles is 59. This claim of both the null
hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis is that the mean of the skittles candies in a bag
is not 59. This hypothesis test came out to be a two tailed test. The findings of this test
statistic is that -.783 is less than the critical value of 2.878, so the test is failed to reject
the null hypothesis. There are no findings that the significant evidence is even there.

There are three conditions for confidence Interval for estimating a population proportion p
1) The sample is a simple random sample.
2) Either or both of these conditions are satisfied: the population is normally distributed
or n>30.
3) There are at least 5 successes and at least 5 failures.
Conditions for Confidence Interval for Estimating a Population Mean with not known
1) The sample is a simple random sample.

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2) Either or both of these conditions is satisfied: The population is normally distributed or
n > 30.
Conditions for Confidence Interval for estimating a population Standard Deviation

or Variance
1) The sample is a simple random sample.
2) The population must have normally distributed values (even if the sample is large). The
requirement of a normal distribution is much stricter here than in earlier sections, so departures
from normal distributions can result in large errors.
The sample we took for this class, was able to meet all of the requirements for what a
statistical hypothesis was. From the estimate intervals and to the testing of hypothesis, the
sample of the skittles was able to be a simple random sample. Since a simple random sample is a
smaller set of samples from a statistical population. It is also an unbiased since it is a
representation from a certain population. The qualifications for the same varied amongst the
students since we were all required to purchase a bag of skittles. The sample of skittles helped
since they were all normally distributed since the distribution for this project allowed to have a
large set of values. Since the sample was normally distributed it also needed to be less than 30
which is also met that requirement. Then the sample had to meet one of those two requirements.
Another prerequisite for samples are to meet a population proportions, since there needs
to be at least 5 successes and at least 5 failures. This formula was also met because the
proportion of units in a population is that it needed to belong to the success group of the
population success proportion, which is denoted by the lowercase letter p. The population
success proportion p is called a parameter and the failure proportion of a population is 1-p, this is
also called a parameter. This is where mistakes could also have been made gathering this data.

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One way this could have happened if the person was recording incorrect data or if the person
counted incorrectly or wrote the wrong quantity down for that color. If getting a non-response
error happened this could also affect the data that was being observed for this project. If someone
in the class bought the wrong size bag of skittles then it would throw some of the data or
sampling off and it would cause gaps in the data as well.
While calculating confidence intervals and hypothesis tests I have come to the realization
that it is important to get a simple random sample because, if not it can affect the accuracy of the
results you are getting when gathering data for an assignment like this. I was also able to learn by
observation a sample, a person can estimate what a population would be for a mean, proportions
and a standard deviation, while also learning how to properly set up a hypothesis test and
determine if the null needed to be rejected of fail to reject the hypothesis null.