Chapter 1, Problem 1.2AE

The Random Numbers applet can be used to select a random sample from a population, but can it be used to simulate data? In parts a and b, you will use the applet to create data sets. Then you will explore whether those data sets are realistic.

1. a. In the activity Keep the Change on page 30, a data set called Amounts Transferred is described. Use the Random Numbers applet to simulate this data set by setting the minimum value equal to 0, the maximum value equal to 99, and the sample size equal to 30. Explain what the numbers in the list produced by the applet represent in the context of the activity. (You may need to read the activity.) Do the numbers produced by the applet seem reasonable? Explain.
2. b. Use the Random Numbers applet to simulate grades on a statistics test by setting the minimum value equal to 0, the maximum value equal to 100, and the sample size equal to 30. Explain what the numbers in the list produced by the applet represent in this context. Do the numbers produced by the applet seem reasonable? Explain
3. c. Referring to parts a and b, why do the randomly generated data seem more reasonable in one situation than in the other? Comment on the usefulness of using a random number generator to produce data.