AP STATS Summer Assignment: (25 points)

DUE the first day of class AT THE START OF CLASS!

An assignment turned in late for ANY reason will be graded down 10% per school day that it is late.

Read the book: How to Lie With Statistics By: Darrell Huff

There are several copies in Fairfax County Public Libraries and if you start immediately, there are also 5 copies in the Hayfield Library!!

After you have finished reading the book:

I Scan through the pages and pick out your TWO Favorite examples of ways that people have been or can be misled by statistics. Summarize the circumstances around each occurrence in your own words, and state what should have been done better or in a different way. Include at least one GRAPHICAL example (show/redraw the picture). Make it neat, and explain carefully what is wrong! Do not directly quote the book. Put everything in your own words. Type your assignment in proper English and use spell check.

This book is obviously very old and although the examples are very well done, they are obviously out-dated.

II You are to update TWO of the examples found in the book. To UPDATE an example of a “common lie”. Include the example in the Huff book and then find an article from print media that you are using as a basis for your updated example. Attach the article to your work. If you feel the article did “lie”, write up the lie as an example for the “edition” and show a corresponding “honest” representation of the new situation. If you feel the article was “honest”, use it as a counter-example to the “lie” of the situation that will be in the new edition of the book if it were ever updated. The updated example that you find should be something that you found in printed form (newspaper, magazines, recent advertisements etc.) and must be news dated this year!!!! You cannot use articles more than 6 months old. There are lies in the newspaper almost every day. They should be easy to find!!

This is NOT a group/partner assignment. ALL work is to be done by each student individually. You can see me for help, but do NOT collaborate; do not give copies to other students in AP statistics.

This assignment should be typed. Each of the two favorite examples and 2 updates should be on SEPARATE sheets of paper. One situation per page!! So you will have a total of 4 pages of work in addition to a cover page (5 pages). The graphic must refer to the page where you found the graphic in the book.

HAVE FUN FINDING ARTICLES AND CITING THE EXAMPLES!!

Direction summary:

1. Read the book: How to Lie with Statistics
2. Find your favorite “Lies”
3. Summarize two of the lies in your own words (1 page per summary). One summary must be of the graphical nature. It may be shorter than one page, but please start a new page for your next summary.
4. Find articles that illustrate two of the types of lies in the book and report on them. (one sheet for each article. Tape the article to the page OR staple the article to your sheet.)
5. Include a cover page. (Which brings your total to 5 sheets of paper + the included “new” articles from 2008)

One more time: Page 1 COVER PAGE

Page 2 Summarize one of your favorite lies/chapters

Page 3 Summarize one of your favorite Visual/Graphical lies

Page 4 Find an example in RECENT NEWS that illustrates one of the techniques for lies. (ATTACH a copy of the article)

Page 5 Find a second example in RECENT NEWS that illustrates one of the techniques for lies. (ATTACH a copy of the article)

Any questions:

Send me an email. I check my email infrequently during the summer, so you may not hear back from me immediately. I have no computer at home.

My e-mail address is: John.mika@fcps.edu

EXTRA CREDIT: (Up to 2 points per example with a possible maximum of 10 points)

This bonus is also DUE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. No late articles accepted!

• In addition, the following books are recommended for your pleasure. You may read either or both of the following and do an additional write-up for EXTRA CREDIT. For the extra credit, you should again cite favorite examples of ways that people have been or may be mislead by statistics. Summarize the circumstances around each occurrence in your own words, and state what should have been done better or in a different way. Make it neat, and explain carefully what is wrong! Do not directly quote the book. Put everything in your own words. Type your assignment in proper English and use spell check.
• With each example you pick, find an example in the newspaper or weekly magazine similar to the example you have chosen. (ATTACH IT)
• You should have 1 page per example (do not put more than one article per page even if you do not need a full page for the write up)

USE THE FOLLOWING BOOKS FOR THE EXTRA CREDIT

A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper:

By: John Allen Paulos

Damned Lies and Statistics

“Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians and Activist”

By: Joel Best