Stats 110

Projects

Project 1: Designing and Analyzing a Random Sample

In this project, you will investigate a research question that can be answered by taking a random sample from a well-defined population and analyzing one variable from the collected data using methods we have learned.

Here are some examples of projects that past students have done:

  • Does the frequency of the letter Z on Wikipedia exceed its frequency in the English language? [report]
  • Are there fewer Subarus at Stanford than nationwide?
  • On average, is Trader Joe's cheaper than Safeway?
  • Are more than 90% of recipes in a vegetarian cookbook are actually vegetarian?

You are required to work with one partner for this project.

Data Collection: Both you and your partner should collect the data. Be sure to take lots of photos to include in your report and your poster. If you work in a research lab that collects data, I encourage you to see if any of the data from your lab would be appropriate for this project.

Project 2: Designing and Analyzing a Randomized Experiment

In this project, you will investigate a research question that can be answered by randomly assigning units to one of two groups and comparing the two groups using the methods we have learned. Here are some examples of projects that past students have done:

  • Does waxing skis increase speed? [report]
  • Does soaking popcorn kernels in water first reduce number of duds?
  • Does a high-carb meal before an athletic event improve performance?
  • Is recall affected by whether or not you take notes on a computer or by hand?

You are required to work with one partner for this project, who cannot be the partner that you worked with on Project 1.

Data Collection: As you collect the data, be sure to take lots of photos to include in your report and your poster. You will need to submit your data with your project. I recommend using Google Sheets and downloading the file as CSV.

Poster Presentation

You will turn one of your two projects into a poster and present it at the poster session, which will take place in class on Friday, December 4. You are encouraged to present the poster with your project partner, if possible.