Data Analysis MAST10010

Instructions

Software:

You must use Minitab to produce any graphs, tables and descriptive statistics.

Graphs:

❼ must include your name/student number, which can be added by Editing the graph, right-clicking and selecting Add → Footnote or Add → Subtitle.

❼ must be relevant. You may look at many graphs, but you should only include the most relevant graph for each question.

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❼ should be clear: ensure that labels and titles are correct and appropriate; you can add gridlines/change symbols/colour as appropriate to make the graph clearer.

There are some marks awarded for improving upon the default from Minitab.

❼ Mac Users: you will need to use myUniApps or the computer labs on campus in order to edit the graphs as required above.

Statistics:

Must be relevant: you will be penalised for including statistics which are not relevant to the questions asked.

Comments:

❼ must be in the context of the data.

❼ should be supported by relevant statistics where possible.

❼ should be concise and informative. Word limits, where given, must be strictly adhered to (all word limits are a maximum, you will be penalised for going over this limit!). There is no minimum, use the marks available as a guide.

Question 1: Study Design [0 + 2 + (2+2+2) = 8 marks]

In the week 2 Tute/Lab class you designed studies to investigate research questions. For this question you may use ideas from the class discussion, but must write and submit

your own work . While it is recommended to use the same question you discussed in the tutorial, you may also choose another question that was not discussed in your class .

You are allowed to simplify or adjust the question to make it more practical, and may also make reasonable assumptions about what is possible/feasible (you should clearly state these assumptions). For example, in a study to determine “How many sheep do you need to count before falling asleep?”: it is reasonable to assume that people would be able to remember (approximately) the number they got to before falling asleep; it is not reasonable to assume that you can measure their brainwaves to determine this number.

Select ONE of the following 13 research questions:

1 Monitoring the effect upon river health of an outbreak of an algal bloom.

2 Determining the effect upon AFL anterior-cruciate ligament longitude of a new boot design.

3 Is chiropractic manual therapy an effective treatment for infant colic (unexplained persistent crying)?

4 Is a new chemotherapy drug effective in treating cancer?

5 Is yoga an effective treatment for back pain?

6 Does organically grown food contain more nutrients than non-organic food?

7 Is starch consumption good for the obese?

8 Can a diet high in heart-healthy foods and antioxidants reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease?

9 Is the population of minke whales in Antarctica decreasing significantly?

10 Mobile phone usage and brain function - should we be worried?

11 Does playing action video games improve your surgery skills?

12 Do genetically modified soybeans have different (better) nutrient value than standard varieties?

13 Cows at Melbourne University’s robotic dairy (Dookie) can decide when they are milked. Are they Australia’s happiest dairy cows?