Angelica Langford

Skittles Term Project

Question: How many skittles are in each bag of every bag of Skittles in the world?
In this project we are trying to show the benefit of using excel to create various
charts and tables relative to statistics. We have a class of 25 people and each of us bought
a bag of Skittles. We counted each of the colors, and have made a pie chart, a Pareto chart,
a five number summary, a boxplot, and a histogram out of the data of the classes colors and
numbers of skittles. We will end with multiple confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing.
Data for the class
Number of Number of Number of Number of Number of
Red
orange
yellow
green
purple
Total
# Name
Candies
candies
candies
candies
candies
Candies
1 Karen
10
14
8
10
18
60
2 Shalon
19
11
9
9
12
60
3 Samuel
11
14
10
15
10
60
4 Leslie
15
17
7
15
8
62
5 Dialma
14
5
9
18
15
61
6 Maria
13
11
8
5
21
58
7 Margrethe
10
9
19
11
12
61
8 Haley
14
19
12
8
9
62
9 Rupa
12
11
15
9
8
55
10 Heather
10
16
12
11
10
59
11 Allie
13
8
12
12
13
58
12 Brad
19
14
5
13
9
60
13 Bridgette
13
12
18
11
7
61
14 Milene
10
9
12
13
18
62
15 Jameson
6
14
11
17
14
62
16 Jessica
9
19
11
9
15
63
17 Marie
9
11
18
16
5
59
18 Emmoly
10
13
16
11
10
60
19 Cole
12
12
8
14
15
61
20 Angelica
8
13
13
15
13
62
21 Jessica
10
12
9
11
20
62
22 Eli
14
10
18
5
15
62
23 Dallin
5
9
20
11
15
60
24 Adam
12
15
7
14
14
62
25 Nate
14
9
12
14
11
60
TOTAL
292
307
299
297
317
1512

Data for me alone

20 Angelica

13

13

15

13

62

Pie Charts
Class Skittles Data

Number of Red Candies

Number of orange candies

Number of green candies

Number of purple candies

Number of yellow candies

Pareto Charts

Class Skittles Data

350

300

250

Class Skittles Data

200

150

100

50

0
Number of Red Candies
Number of yellow candies
Number of purple candies

Number of orange candies

Number of green candies

Class Skittles Data for Every Student

25
20
15
10
5
0
1

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Number of Red Candies

Number of orange candies

Number of green candies

Number of purple candies

Number of yellow candies

Organizing and Displaying Quantitative Data: the Number of Candies per Bag
Mean: 60.6
Std. Dev: 1.4434
5 NUMBER SUMMARY
Min: 55
LQ1: 60.5
Median: 61
LQ3: 62.5
Maximum: 63
Box and Whisker Plot of 5 Number Summary

55

60.5

61

62.5

63

3D Histogram of 5 Number Summary

64
62
60
58
56
54
52
50
1
Minimum

L1Q

Median

L3Q

Maximum

Graph Questions:
What is the shape of the distribution? The shape is approximately normal.
Do the graphs reflect what you expected to see? Yes, I expected to see a normal
distribution, and everyone having about the same amount of candies in their bags.
Does the overall data collected by the whole class agree with your own data from a single
bag of candies? Yes. Their data was quite similar.
In addition to the summary statistics and boxplot, include the number of candies from your
own bag and the total number of bags in the sample. I had 62 candies in my bag, and
there were a total of 25 bags in the sample of the class.
Explain the difference between categorical and quantitative data. Categorical data is not
based on measurements or numbers but on categories. Quantitative data is based on
numbers and things that can be calculated with numbers.
What types of graphs make sense and what types of graphs do not make sense for
categorical data? It would make sense to make a graph of the hair colors in your
school. It would not make sense to make a graph of the amount of lockers in your
school.
For quantitative data? It would make sense to make a graph of the amount of cars on
your street. It would not make sense to make a graph of the colors of all of the cars
on your street.
Explain why. Categorical data is more about categories and colors, etc. whereas
quantitative data is more about calculations and numbers.
What types of calculations make sense and what types of calculations do not make sense
for categorical data? It would make sense to calculate how many races there are in
America, to put them into columns. It would not make sense to calculate how many
times a day people die.
For quantitative data? It would make sense to calculate the number of weeks in a
seventy year period. It would not make sense to calculate the holidays and what days
they land on.
Explain why. Because categorical data relies more on categories, not calculations of
numbers, and quantitative data is the opposite.

Confidence Interval Estimates

Statisticians use a confidence interval to describe the amount of uncertainty associated with
a sample estimate of a population parameter. Basically, how confident you are that a
sample is close to the population. We are trying to figure out if the sample of Skittles we got
looks like the population.
Construct a 95% confidence interval estimate for the true proportion of purple candies.
n=1512=sample size
p^= total # purple candies/ total # candies= (317/1512)=.21
Confidence Interval: 95%
=.05
z=+1.96 (z score associated with .025)
Estimating population parameter: (p^ - E< p < p^ + E)
E=Margin of Error= /2 sqrt(p^(1-p^)/n) =.021
Population parameter: (.189 < p < .23)
This means that we are 95% confident that the population proportion of purple skittles falls
between these two numbers.
Construct a 99% confidence interval estimate for the true mean number of candies per bag.
n=25
Mean=60.48
=.01%
Confidence interval: 99%
Estimating population parameter: (mean- E < < mean+ E)
E=margin of error= t_ /2 * s/sqrt(n)=.985 (s= std. dev)
Population parameter: (59.5 < < 61.5)
This means that we are 99% confident that the population mean for the number of Skittles in
a bag falls between these two numbers.

Construct a 98% confidence interval estimate for the standard deviation of the number of
candies per bag.
DF= 24
n=25
s=1.76
Confidence interval=98%
= .02
/2=.01
Estimating population parameter:

(1) 2
2

< <

(1) 2
2

2 = 42.980
2 = 10.856
Population parameter: Using the equation from above I plugged in the numbers to come up
with this confidence interval:
. 201 < < .794
This means that we are 98% confident that the population standard deviation of candies per
bag falls between these two numbers.

Hypothesis Tests
Explain in general the purpose and meaning of a hypothesis test. A hypothesis is a claim or
statement about a property of a population. A hypothesis test is a procedure for testing a
claim about a property of a population.
Use a 0.01 significance level to test the claim that 20% of all Skittles candies are green.
=.01

=.005

n=1512

.005

.005

p^=# of green candies/total # of candies=.1964

Null Hypothesis: 0 = = .20
Alternative Hypothesis: 1 = .20
This will be a two-tailed graph

+2.575

-2.575

z=p^-p/sqrt(p(1-p)/n = 1.964-.20/sqrt(.20(1-.20)/1512) = -.350

z score: 2.575

Z=-.350

The graph above shows that our score isnt even close to being outside our critical values,
showing that this hypothesis is very likely. Fail to reject 0 .
Conclusion: There is not sufficient evidence to reject the claim that 20% of all Skittles
candies are green.

Use a 0.05 significance level to test the claim that the mean number of candies in a bag of
Skittles is 56.
DF=24
n=25
mean=60.5
s=1.76
=56
=.05
t=(mean- )/s/sqrt(n) = 60.5-56/1.76.sqrt(25) =12.78 (already very far from the mean)
Critical t value=2.064

-2.064

+2.064
12.78

According to our graph, our test statistic is outside of our critical range, therefore there is
sufficient evidence to reject the hypothesis that the mean number of candies in a Skittles
bag is 56. Reject 0 .

Reflection
State the conditions for doing interval estimates and hypothesis tests for population
proportions and discuss whether or not your samples met these conditions.
-

Interval estimates: To design one, you must describe the amount of uncertainty
associated with a sample estimate of a population proportion parameter. You have
to choose the formula (p^ - E< p < p^ + E). My sample met these conditions.
Hypothesis tests: You have to want to prove a test for population right or wrong
to use a hypothesis test. You have three formulas to choose from. You may
choose one. My sample met these conditions.

State the conditions for doing interval estimates and hypothesis tests for population means
and discuss whether or not your samples met these conditions.
-

Interval estimates: To design one, you must describe the amount of uncertainty
associated with a sample estimate of a population mean parameter. You have to
choose the formula (mean-E <<mean+E). My sample met these conditions.
Hypothesis tests: You have to want to prove a test for population mean right or
wrong to use a hypothesis test. You have three formulas to choose from. You
may choose one. My sample met these conditions

State the conditions for doing interval estimates for population standard deviations and
discuss whether or not your samples met these conditions.
-

Interval estimates: To design one, you must describe the amount of uncertainty
associated with a sample estimate of a population standard deviation parameter.
(1) 2

You have to choose the formula (

-

< <

(1) 2
2

). My sample met

these conditions.
Hypothesis tests: You have to want to prove a test for population standard
deviation right or wrong to use a hypothesis test. You have three formulas to
choose from. You may choose one. My sample met these conditions

What possible errors could have been made by using this data?
Our class could have had bags of Skittles that were above or below average. Our
sample of 25 students is pretty small to observe population. Calculation errors also could
have been made in the data, and not counting the broken pieces of Skittles at the bottoms
of the bags could make a slight calculation difference.

How could the sampling method be improved? By obtaining a larger sample, we could do
the same statistical experiment, and it would have more accurate results for assumption of
the population.
State what conclusions you have drawn from your statistical research. I have drawn
conclusions that our data wasnt flawed, but the sample size is too small. The data we did
collect was of normal distribution and had pretty average numbers of Skittles. The Pie Chart
and Pareto chart show the numbers and colors of candies well. The confidence interval
assumes that my conclusions are basically the exact same as the population, but with such
a small sample, whos to know. The hypothesis testing worked great to prove and disprove
the hypotheses that were given. Overall this statistical research method is very important
and applicable to everyday life.

PROJECT REFLECTION:
What have you learned as a result of this project? This project has helped me while
in my statistics course to learn how to apply the concepts we have been learning to the real
world.

Discuss how the math skills that you applied in this project will impact other classes you will
take in your school career. The math skills I have applied in this class will help me in other
classes that I take. Entropy, for example. Calculating entropy without the use of excel and
knowing how to make charts is miserable. But with the concepts and skills I have learned in
this class, calculating entropy for my physics class was a breeze.
Identify specific parts of the project and your own process in completing the project that may
have applications for other classes. This project can have impact on a lot of other classes.

Especially sharpening your thinking skills and in other math classes. Distributions appear in
physics a ton.

Discuss how the project helped to develop your problem solving skills. This project helped
me develop problem solving skills through learning to follow a pattern of thinking that leads
to an answer, not just plugging numbers into a formula. It helps when there are real world
concepts to apply them to, like how many people drink alcohol in the state of Utah.

Discuss how this project changed the way you think about real-world math applications.If
your thinking was not changed, then discuss how the project supported your views about
real-world math applications. I have actually enjoyed this math class, and I cant say that
about a lot of other math classes. Statistical skills are very useful, especially when youre
not sure if you can believe what someone says. Politics plays a huge role in this. You
shouldnt believe everything a politician says, you should use your statistics skills first.