Melanie Moody’s AP Statistics class recently started doing hypothesis testing, and they had a “ball” during the process. In fact, during one particular activity, they tested the accuracy of the amount of water on inflatable globes. Students threw the globe back and forth to each other exactly 100 times and recorded if their index finger landed on water or land. From their sample of 100 tosses, the students had to make a decisions based on their data on whether or not the globe was an accurate representation of the amount of water on earth, 71%. Except for one group, it was determined that the globes are not very accurate.
“This activity allows the students to have a hands on approach to hypothesis testing. It allows them to really think about what the data is telling them and how they would communicate their results to others,” said Moody.