APPLICATION OF STATISTICAL CONCEPTS IN THE
DETERMINATION OF WEIGHT VARIATION IN COIN SAMPLES
K. LO1
1DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION, COLLEGE OF HOME ECONOMICS
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES
DATE PERFORMED: AUGUST 22, 2019
INSTRUCTOR’S NAME: VALDERRAMA, R.T.
1. Discuss the significance of mean,
standard deviation, and confidence
limits.
The mean makes for an accurate
representation of the data set by identifying the
central position within a set of data. The
standards deviation indicates the closeness of
the data in to the mean and the precision of the
mean to the data.2 Confidence interval
represents the possible errors in an estimated
mean with the precision of the estimated mean
being greater when the upper and lower limits
are reduced3.
2. What is the importance of using
Grubb's test?
Grubb’s test allows for the detection of
outliers in the data set which may have been
obtained with a great amount of error. These
can significantly alter values gathered from
statistical parameters thus its removal is done
to represent the population more precisely and
accurately4.
3. What does the pooled standard
deviation tell us about the
measurements?
The pooled standard deviation is the average
spread of all data points based from the
group mean. Under the assumption of equal
population variances, the pooled standard
deviation provides a more precise estimate
of the standard deviation compared to the
ones gathered from individual sample
groups9.
4. Compare the statistical parameter
obtained for data set 1 with those
obtained for data set 2.
The notable difference between the
statistical parameters based from nature of
the two different data set would be in terms
of their
Accuracy and precision. Data set 2 is less
precise than data set 1 due to the greater
amount of elements in the data set the
occurrence of variation in the relative values
is also greater. The data in data set 2
however is more accurate since the sample
population is greater, thus more accurately
representing the total population2.
5. Enumerate and explain the three types
of experimental error. Give examples for
each type.
Systematic Error. Systematic error is
an error which has a consistent offset from
the true value which affects the accuracy of
the measurements thus affects the accuracy
of measurements. E.g. forgetting to tare or
zero a balance produces mass
measurements that are always "off" by the
same amount5.
Random Error. Random error is an
error that affects the precision gathered
from measurements due to random changes
in condition while measuring. E.g. a spring
balance might show some variation in
measurement due to fluctuations in
temperature, conditions of loading and
unloading6.
Gross Error (or Blunder). Gross error
is error caused by serious mistakes which
can result to outliers. E.g. person or operator
reading pressure gage 1.01N/m2 as 1.10N/m27.
6. What is the normal or Gaussian
distribution, and what are the
requirements for a data set to have this
type of distribution?
A normal distribution is a function that
represents most unbiased data sets and
population relative values. A normal
distribution is symmetrical about the mean
with majority of the data sets representing
(with least variation to) the actual value or
the average. Requirements for a normal
distribution are equal mean, median and
mode as well as the area under the normal
curve to be equal to 1. Since most population
relative values would approach that of a
normal distribution, random sampling is also
important10.
7. Why do we use forceps in handling
coins?
The use of forceps prevent oil and dirt from
collecting on the coin which may affect the
weight of the coins increasing the error in
statistical analysis8.
REFERENCES
[1] Dodge, Y. The Concise Encyclopedia of
Statistics,
2008 ed.; Springer: New York, 2008; pp 15-
16.
[2] Texas A&M University - Chemistry.
Average, Standard Deviation and Relative
Standard Deviation.
https://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/math
rev/std-dev.pdf (accessed Aug 22, 2019).
[3] National Institute of Standards and
Technology – Information Technology
Laboratory. Confidence Limits for the Mean.
https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/
eda/section3/eda352.htm (accessed Aug 22,
2019).
[4] National Institute of Standards and
Technology – Information Technology
Laboratory. Grubb's Test for Outliers.
https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/
eda/section3/eda35h1.htm (accessed Aug 22,
2019).
[5] Cornell University. Experimental Error.
https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/virtual_lab/La
bZero/Experimental_Error.shtml (accessed
Aug 22, 2019).
[6] University of Rochester – Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Experimental Errors and Uncertainity.
http://www2.ece.rochester.edu/courses/ECE
111/error_uncertainty.pdf (accessed Aug 22,
2019).
[7] New Mexico State Univeristy –
Department of Physics. Types of
Experimental Errors.
http://www.physics.nmsu.edu/research/lab
110g/html/ERRORS.html (accessed Aug 22,
2019).
[8] US Environmental Protection Agency-
Office of Pesticide Programs. Standard
Operating Procedure for Calibration and
Maintenance for Weigh Balances.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files
/2018-01/documents/eq-03-08.pdf
(accessed Aug 22, 20019).
[9] What is the pooled standard deviation?
https://support.minitab.com/en-
us/minitab/18/help-and-how-
to/statistics/basic-statistics/supporting-
topics/data-concepts/what-is-the-pooled-
standard-deviation/.
[10] Normal Distribution of Data
https://www.varsitytutors.com/hotmath/hot
math_help/topics/normal-distribution-of-
data (accessed Aug 25, 2019).