# Super-duper mundane poll: Help out the statistics student! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 8, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410 "2007-02-08T20:59:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/21 "2007-02-08T21:56:55Z")
Male 24 Strongly Agree I’m starting to notice a pattern among 24-year-old males in this thread… ---
**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/22 "2007-02-08T22:08:15Z")
The other students in the class are probably asking classmates, friends, and family. Nobody’s going to get anywhere near a true random sample. I’m sure the prof knows that. Male, 28, strongly agree. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/23 "2007-02-08T22:09:10Z")
Female 26 Strongly Agree ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/24 "2007-02-08T22:12:30Z")
Male 46 Burma My 3d response is a semi-serious observation as to the questionable ambiguity in your question, as **Hogwash** observed. Personally, I don’t **do** math for recreation, but I’m glad it exists when I need to tot up the old checkbook, or when rocket scientists need to do whatever they do. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/25 "2007-02-08T22:15:13Z")
Male 26 Strongly Agree/Agree - somewhere on the boundary. I \*slightly \*strongly agree. ---
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/26 "2007-02-08T22:16:57Z")
Male, 39, strongly agree ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/27 "2007-02-08T22:23:17Z")
Male 56 Agree ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/28 "2007-02-08T22:31:32Z")
Male 36 Disagree ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/29 "2007-02-08T22:44:32Z")
[QUOTE=mrklutz] Male 41 strongly agree Your sampling methodology is definitely flawed. Might as well ask this crowd if they like to use computers for recreational purposes. [/QUOTE] Well, the purpose of this assignment is mostly just to assemble and organize data, and to display my recently-acquired knowlege of basic statistical techniques. (In other words, I get to draw pretty little graphs.) And while there is a section where I discuss potential sources of bias, I’m not exactly worried about sampling methodology. Seriously, how illuminating is a survey of 30 or so people meant to be when it asks one question? But thank you for your responses so far. Almost done! ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/30 "2007-02-08T22:48:31Z")
[QUOTE=Airblairxxx] Well, the purpose of this assignment is mostly just to assemble and organize data, and to display my recently-acquired knowlege of basic statistical techniques. (In other words, I get to draw pretty little graphs.) And while there is a section where I discuss potential sources of bias, I’m not exactly worried about sampling methodology. Seriously, how illuminating is a survey of 30 or so people meant to be when it asks one question? But thank you for your responses so far. Almost done! [/QUOTE] If that’s all you need to do, why not just generate random numbers? ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/31 "2007-02-08T22:49:13Z")
Female 39 Disagree ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/32 "2007-02-08T22:49:38Z")
Male 36 (37 after 2/25) Agree ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/33 "2007-02-08T22:50:12Z")
Male 58 Disagree ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/34 "2007-02-08T22:58:13Z")
Male 22 Agree ---
**Author:** ![Tamryne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@Tamryne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamryne)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/35 "2007-02-08T23:02:45Z")
Female 19 Disagree (said as I work on my calculus homework, _gag_) ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/36 "2007-02-08T23:18:41Z")
Male 38 **dinsdale** no ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/37 "2007-02-08T23:25:22Z")
[QUOTE=Airblairxxx] I need help. I’m taking a beginning statistics class, and I have an assignment due. I have to poll 35 people, then come up with a report on the results. Problem is, I don’t have time to find 35 people. So I need just a minute of your time to answer the following questions. Gender? Age? “I Like Math”–pick one response: **Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree?** There now, that wasn’t so bad, was it? [/QUOTE] Female 39.6 Strongly Agree about the math thing Terrible experience, I must say ( 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/38 "2007-02-08T23:30:39Z")
Female 37 Disagree ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/39 "2007-02-08T23:30:44Z")
fifty something male strongly agree ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410/40 "2007-02-08T23:52:29Z")
I think I have enough responses, folks! Thanks for all your help! [QUOTE=Crescend] If that’s all you need to do, why not just generate random numbers? [/QUOTE] Because I think that making up data is not in the spirit of this assignment. Although it’s hard to get a feel for what the professor wants, given that this is an online class. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-duper-mundane-poll-help-out-the-statistics-student/391410.md?page=3)