Practicum Example 2: Random Variables in Life
Because this example deals with probability and not statistics, it will diverge from the usual structure of examples. Follow this explanation closely.
Purpose
The purpose of this example is to help you tie class topics to your experiences outside the classroom. Probability distributions are all around us. Many of those real-life distributions are named distributions — or very close to them. The in-class distributions we covered are the Binomial, Poisson, Hypergeometric, Uniform, Exponential, and Normal distributions. Review each before starting this activity.
To Do
Again, you will use the weatherData.xlsx data file for this practicum. For each of the following variables, create an appropriate graphic, determine the most likely distribution for the data (from those six given above), and estimate the value(s) of the distribution’s parameter(s).
- Rain
- AvgTemp
- AvgVisibility
Make sure that you defend your choice of distribution. In fact, spend at least a paragraph defending your selection. This means you find characteristics of that distribution and explicitly tie them to characteristics of the data.
Do the above before looking at the solutions. Jumping straight to the solutions provides almost no help for you. The benefit from practice is actually doing the practice. Do not cheat yourself.