Statistics • Topic 1 of 3

Statistical vs. Non-Statistical Questions

What is Statistics?

Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, and interpreting data.

Statistical Question: A question that expects variability in the answers. Different people would give different answers.

Non-Statistical Question: A question that expects a single answer. Everyone would give the same answer.

Statistical Question	Non-Statistical Question
How tall are students in our class?	How tall is the teacher?
What is the favorite color of 6th graders?	What is your favorite color?
How many minutes do people spend on homework?	How many minutes are in an hour?
What are the ages of students in the school?	How old is the principal?

STATISTICAL VS NON-STATISTICAL - FLOWCHART:

    Question
         │
         ▼
    Will answers vary?
         │
    ┌────┴────┐
    │         │
   YES        NO
    │         │
    ▼         ▼
Statistical  Non-Statistical
Question     Question


EXAMPLES:

    "What is the height of the Empire State Building?"
    → Everyone gives same answer (380 m)
    → NON-STATISTICAL
    
    "What are the heights of the tallest buildings in NYC?"
    → Different buildings have different heights
    → STATISTICAL


REAL-LIFE CONTEXT:

    Statistical questions lead to:
    - Collecting data
    - Making graphs
    - Finding mean, median, mode
    - Drawing conclusions
    
    Non-statistical questions:
    - Can be answered with one fact
    - Don't require data analysis

Solved Examples

Worked Example

Is "How old is each student in Grade 6?" statistical?

Solution

Different students have different ages
Answers will vary
Answer: Yes, it is statistical

Worked Example

Is "What is the speed of light?" statistical?

Solution

Speed of light is constant (~300,000 km/s)
Everyone would give same answer
Answer: No, it is non-statistical

Worked Example

Write a statistical question about lunch.

Solution

"What is the favorite lunch food of 6th graders?"
Answers will vary by student
Answer: Statistical question

Key Points

Statistical = answers vary
Non-statistical = single answer
Statistical questions require data collection
Think: "Would different people give different answers?"

Quick Check — 4 MCQs

Tap an option to check your answer0 / 4

Q1.A statistical question has ___ in its answers.

Explanation: Variability.

Q2.A non-statistical question has:

Explanation: One answer.

Q3."How tall are the students in my class?" is:

Explanation: Answers vary.

Q4."How tall am I?" is:

Explanation: One answer.

Practice more MCQs → 📝 Assignment · 35 marks