Statistics with a Sense of Humor

A Humorous Workbook & Guide to Study Skills

Fred Pyrczak

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9781351968140
• Subtopic: Social Science Research & Methodology
• Index: Psychology

•We've added a comprehensive basic math review to this edition. It will get your students off to a good start in statistics.

• In the worksheets, students obtain answers to humorous riddles if their work is correct. If the answer to a riddle does not make sense, they know to check their work.

• Easy to coordinate with all major statistics textbooks because each exercise covers only a limited number of statistics.

• All major topics are included—from calculating percentages to conducting a one-way ANOVA.

• Over 40 humorously illustrated, interactive guides give your students solid advice on study skills covering everything from how to get the most out of a statistics textbook to how to work with a tutor.

• The 64-page instructor's answer key shows all the steps in the solutions for the computational problems. This key makes it easy for you to start using the workbook right away.

• This book has been a perennial best-seller. Minor adjustments throughout bring you an improved Second Edition for 1999.

Worksheet 1: MATH REVIEW: ORDER OF OPERATIONS

Name: ______________________________ Date: __________

RIDDLE: Why did the bored man cut a hole in the carpet?

Directions: To find the answer to the riddle, write the answers to the problems on the lines. The letter in the solution section beside the answer to the first problem is the first letter in the answer to the riddle, the letter beside the answer to the second problem is the second letter, and so on.

1. 5 × 10 + 6 × 2 = _____
2. 3 + 4 × 9 = _____
3. (9 + 28) × 6 = _____
4. 159 - 66 × 2 = _____
5. 15 × 14 - 8 × 20 = _____
6. 19 - 5 + 2 × 3 = _____
7. 70 - 5 × 3 × 4 = _____
8. 6 + 8 × 1 × 5 = _____
9. 33/1 + 1 × 3 = _____
10. 8/4 + (6)(0) = _____
11. 169/(12 + 1) = _____
12. (2 + 3+ 4)/3 = _____
13. (2 + 18)/(9 - 5) = _____
14. (1 + 5)(3) + (7)(2) = _____
15. (9 + 9)(10 - 1)(2) = _____
16. (15 - 4)(21/7)(63 - 59) = _____
17. (3)(1)(1) + (6/2)(9) = _____

Solution Section:

112 (B) 62 (T) 39 (O) 10 (H) 780 (Y) 222 (S) 3 (O)
2 (L) 63 (A) 27 (E) 177 (Z) 186 (X) 13 (O) 5 (R)
32 (S) 50 (E) 4,040 (D) 20 (T) 46 (E) 30 (W) 70 (F)
132 (O) 102 (K) 36 (F) 324 (H) 187 (B) 1 (J) 48 (1)

Write the answer to the riddle here, putting one letter on each line:
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

Notes:

Dr. P.'s friendly advice: CALCULATOR TIPS.

1. Don't become overconfident because you are using a calculator. Many students who use calculators make as many mistakes as those who calculate using only pencil and paper.
2. Using a calculator doesn't relieve you of the responsibility to do all problems twice, which is the best way to check your work.
3. Be sure to read the directions for your calculator thoroughly and carefully. You need to understand the functions of all keys. At the very least, perform all the sample problems in the calculator's manual.

If you haven't read the directions for your calculator yet, read them now and write two new things you learned about it. (For very simple calculators, you may only learn how to change the battery—but you need even that information.)

1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Worksheet 2: MATH REVIEW: NEGATIVES

Name: ______________________________ Date: __________

RIDDLE: What did the owner of the wreck of a car say about the noise it makes?

Directions: To find the answer to the riddle, write the answers to the problems on the lines. The word in the solution section beside the answer to the first problem is the first word in the answer to the riddle, the word beside the answer to the second problem is the second word, and so on.

1. (-10)(-2) = _____
2. (-5)(47) = _____
3. (6)(-16) = _____
4. 15/-3 = _____
5. -144/12 = _____
6. —169/-13 = _____
7. 19 + -3 = _____
8. -28 + -28 = _____
9. -88 + 18 = _____
10. 15- -15 = _____
11. -29 - 14 = _____
12. -30 - -29 = _____
13. (-15)(-33) = _____
14. (-11)(44) = _____
15. -2178/33 = _____
16. 188 + -99 = _____
17. -279 + -188 = _____
18. -399 - 59 = _____

Solution Section:

-20 (GARAGE) 235 (TWO) 340 (SKY) 20 (THERE'S) -96 (ONE)
-235 (ONLY) 96 (ROAD) -56 (THAT) -70 (DOESN'T) -1 (SORT)
-458 (HORN) -467 (THE) 5 (IS) -12 (ON) -5 (THING) 13 (MY)
-13 (USE) 16 (CAR) 12 (BE) 30 (MAKE) 0 (FIX) 22 (BUS)
495 (OF) -484 (NOISE) 56 (AN) -66 (AND) 70 (TRANSPORTATION)
89 (THAT'S) -43 (SOME) -15 (ALWAYS) -59 (HIGHWAY)
-495 (MECHANIC) 66 (BROKEN) 484 (STRANDED) 467 (FREEWAY)

Write the answer to the riddle here, putting one word on each line:
__________ __________ __________ __________ __________
__________ __________ __________ __________ __________
__________ __________ __________ __________ __________
__________ __________ __________

Notes:

Dr. P.'s friendly advice: MAKE MENTAL ESTIMATES OF THE ANSWERS TO CALCULATIONS.

Successful students in statistics usually make mental estimates of answers even if they are using a calculator or computer. Then, if the answer given by the calculator or computer is not close to the estimate, they know a mistake has occurred.

Suppose you need to multiply the two numbers shown above. One way to estimate the answer is to round each to the nearest whole number and multiply mentally. What is your estimate? ________ The answer you get on your calculator should be close to this.

Another way to estimate is to round both numbers up. By doing so and then multiplying, what estimate do you get? ________ Because both were rounded up, you know that the answer on your calculator should be somewhat LESS than your estimate.

At first, making mental estimates may slow you down a bit, but in: the long run you'll save time and make fewer errors.

Worksheet 3: MATH REVIEW: ROUNDING

Name: ______________________________ Date: __________

RIDDLE: What did the psychologist put on a sign in her office to make her patients pay?

Directions: To find the answer to the riddle, write the answers to the problems on the lines. The word in the solution section beside the answer to the first problem is the first word in the answer to the riddle, the word beside the answer to the second problem is the second word, and so on. Round as usual except when rounding off a number ending in a five (5). If the number immediately preceding a five is odd, round up. If the number immediately preceding a five is even, round down. Another way to state this principle is: "Round to the nearest even number all numbers ending in 5." For example, 4.85 rounds to 4.8; 4.75 rounds to 4.8. Notice, however, that 4.851, which ends in a value greater than "5," rounds to 4.9.

1. Round 10.543 to the nearest hundredth: __________
2. Round 8.67 to the nearest tenth: __________
3. Round 8.4 to the nearest whole number: __________
4. Round 9.8452 to the nearest thousandth: __________
5. Round 15.839 to the nearest tenth: __________
6. Round 29.5 to the nearest whole number: __________
7. Round 15.86 to the nearest tenth: __________
8. Round 3.945 to the nearest hundredth: __________
9. Round 8.45 to the nearest tenth: __________
10. Round 10.555555 to the nearest hundredth: __________

Solution Section:

29 (CRAZY) 15.9 ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Worksheets
• Key to Odd-Numbered Items
• Appendix A: Basic Math Review