40

Bags of Skittles
Maridon Romney - Statistics 1040

SLCC - 2016

This semester, two statistics classes gathered 40 random bags of skittles. They were opened and their
contents were carefully sorted by colour and counted. After each student collected their own data, the
data was ultimately combined as a whole, and with those numbers we asked several questions about the
data and what it meant in conjunction to the whole. How many candies were in each bag? What was
the distribution of colour? Did a students individual bag vary greatly when compared to the the class
mean data? We applied our newly learned concepts in statistics and came to see the value of what they
can tell us about Skittles bags, and much else besides.

What I have learned as a result of this project:

This project helped me to see how analysing numbers in statistics can give you valuable information with
which you can make more educated decisions. In this project the class collectively analysed the number
of skittles and their colours in 40 bags. With the data we collected we had a view into the manufacturing
proportions of Skittles. This information could be valuable to them as a quality control, or useful to the
customer in understanding or guessing the probability of colour distribution in any given bag.

How the math skills I applied to this project will impact other classes in my school career:

I think this project has helped me to take a very different perspective on a candy Ive enjoyed my entire
life. What used to be a regular old fashioned bag of skittles is now a reminder of how much math and
analysis goes into all of the manufactured goods we are surrounded by on a daily basis. Every object is a
mathematical ice berg, where its initial impression is only the tip of a thousand details that went into its
production and design.

Identifying my role in completing the project:

Even though my role in the project was a small one, just one analysed bag out of 40, the impact of my
numbers was unmistakeable. To remove my data changes the numbers of the final results, while only
slightly, if duplicated on a larger scale, is more than noticeable.

How the project developed my problem-solving skills:

A lot of the math required to complete this project was new to me and was difficult to grasp. I was
forced to work out a problem and when I failed, I tried again found my errors and slowly came to a better
solution. It taught me that the first answer doesnt have to be right if it helps you to the right conclusion.
This skill of getting back onto the horse can help me to work harder in other challenging subjects.

How the project changed the way I think about real-world math applications:

I am surprised at the amount of math and mathematical analysis that goes into the world we have built in
the centuries up to now. Compared to the not so distant past, our accuracy and ability to predict
accurate probability is astounding. I can see now, after this project, the endless possibilities of math. It can
literally describe everything around us. the safety of a car, the probability of false positives, even the
number of skittles by colour you might find in any single bag.