768 CHAPTER 12 Statistics Misinterpretations of Statistics In Exercises 21–34, discuss the statement and tell what possible misuses or misinterpretations may exist. 21. Cold Remedy In a study of patients with cold symptoms, each patient was found to have improved symptoms after taking honey. Therefore, honey cures the common cold. The patients may have improved on their own without taking honey. 22. Driving Most accidents occur on Saturday night. That means people do not drive carefully on Saturday night. More people drive on Saturday evening. Thus, one might expect more accidents. 23. Mathematics Scores At Central High School, half the students are below average in mathematics. Therefore, the school should receive more federal aid to raise student scores. Half the students in a population are expected to be below average. 24. IQ At Southshore Elementary School, half of the students have an above average IQ score. Therefore, Southshore Elementary School should be labeled as a gifted school. Half the students in a population are expected to have an above average IQ score. 25. Steak A steak is more expensive at Prime Steakhouse than at Grimaldi’s Steakhouse. Therefore, the quality of a steak at Prime Steakhouse is better than the quality of a steak at Grimaldi's Steakhouse. The quality of a steak does not necessarily depend on the price of the steak. 26. Department Store Morgan’s is the largest department store in New York. So shop at Morgan’s and save money. The fact that Morgan’s is the largest department store does not imply that it is inexpensive. 27. Automobile Accidents Eighty percent of all automobile accidents occur within 10 miles of the driver’s home. Therefore, it is safer to take long trips. Most driving is done close to home. Thus, one might expect more accidents close to home. 28. Cars A Range Rover Sport SUV is more expensive than a Hyundai Tucson SUV. Therefore, a Range Rover Sport SUV will last longer than a Hyundai Tucson SUV. Just because a car is more expensive does not mean it will last longer. 29. Recommending a Professor Thirty students said that they would recommend Professor Fogal to a friend. Twenty students said that they would recommend Professor Bond to a friend. Therefore, Professor Fogal is a better teacher than Professor Bond. * 30. Mattress Sleep Number mattresses cost more than Therapedic mattresses. Therefore, you will sleep better if you buy a Sleep Number mattress than if you buy a Therapedic mattress. Sleeping well does not necessarily depend on the price of a mattress. 31. Lawn Tractors John Deere lawn tractors cost more than Toro lawn tractors. Therefore, John Deere lawn tractors will last longer than Toro lawn tractors. Just because they are more expensive does not mean that they will last longer. 32. Automobile Accidents More taxi drivers than limo drivers are involved in automobile accidents. Therefore, limo drivers are better drivers. Taxi drivers may drive more miles than limo drivers. 33. Depth of a Pond The average depth of the pond is only 3 ft, so it is safe to go wading. There may be deep sections in the pond, so it may not be safe to go wading. 34. Popular Musicians In 2022, Bad Bunny sold more concert tickets than Morgan Wallen. Therefore, Bad Bunny is more popular than Morgan Wallen. The popularity of a musician does not necessarily depend on the number of concert tickets sold in a particular year. 35. Price of a Movie Ticket The following table shows the average price of a movie ticket in the United States for the years 2019–2023. Year Average Ticket Price 2019 $9.16 2020 $9.41 2021 $10.40 2022 $10.45 2023 $10.45 Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com Draw a line graph that makes the increase in the average price of a movie ticket for the years shown appear to be a) small. b) large. * 36. Amazon Revenue The following table shows the worldwide revenue for Amazon, in billions of dollars, for the years 2019–2022. Year Revenue (billions of dollars) 2019 280.52 2020 386.06 2021 469.82 2022 513.98 Source: Amazon.com, Inc. $ * $ *See Instructor Answer Appendix Tsomka/Shutterstock Auremar/123RF
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