Skittle Project

In this project you will see some of the key components of introduction to statistics

relayed in a downplayed example, bags of skittles. At the beginning of this semester we were

assigned to obtain a 2.17 oz bag of skittles, sort and count each color in our individual bags and

share the information with the class. Through the remaining of the semester we used this

information to make all sorts of different charts and compilations of information with the

skittles. We found find the mean, median, and mode. We organized the information into pie

charts and bar graphs. As you look through this project you will see the many ways this bag of

skittles is interpreted and described.

Part 1:

Part one was where we were instructed to complete a quiz that included the individual

colors that would be found inside the bag, and what the count was per color. This information

was to be shared with the class, so we had access to everyone’s counts for further steps. Some

of the classmates did not buy the 2.17 oz bag as instructed, this was known because their color

count was double that the average was. These counts were subtracted from the overall count.

Part 2:

Part two we were asked to describe what we expected percentage wise for each color.

This was calculated by taking my own bag, and taking individual sums of colors, and dividing it

in total by the sum of my bag of skittles. I then expressed my findings and expectations. In order

to actually find the true outcomes, I found the sum of each color from all bags and divided it
from the total number of all skittles. I then presented my findings gramatically, numerically, and

displayed them in different types of charts. (See ex.1)

Part 3:

Part three we were instructed to find the mean, average, 5 number summaries, a box

plot, and a bar graph of the skittles. We then had to describe if the data was quantitative or

qualitative. I explained what each chart meant, why they looked the way they did which means

how each chart was set up and labeled.

Part 4:

Part four we were instructed to find the intervals for the data, what the purpose of the

intervals was, and to describe our findings. I described how many bags of skittles were used to

find the data, how many skittles were used, and why it was important that we use the data.

This project really helped me turn the data into something I understood. It made it

much more realistic. From start to finish, we collected, analyzed, and distributed the data to the

best of our knowledge. If we did it wrong, our calculations were off and would mean we could

not move forward. This gave me a lot of practice and actual true understanding of the concepts

and ideals we were learning in the classroom. I like that we used skittles because it is something

that most of us have been snacking on for years and it helped the project be that much more

relatable. I found myself really struggling on areas of this project where I did not fully

understand the concepts we were supposed to be applying. But by typing out explanatory
paragraphs about the data and conclusions we had come to, that gave me a much deeper

understanding.
 1. I expected to see 18% of them red, 24% of them orange, 21% of them yellow, 19% of
them green, and the last 18% purple. Based off of my own bag, these are the
percentages I got. I took each color and divided it by the total number of skittles in my
personal bag. I expected out of the class average to see the least amount of red and the
largest amount be orange.

Observed:
Color Count: Red Orange Yellow Green Purple
Expected Proportion: 17% 22% 23% 20% 18%
Observed Proportion: 20% 19% 21% 21% 19%

Purple: 223 19%

Red: 231 20%
Orange: 218 19%
Yellow: 242 21%
Green: 238 21%

TOTAL: 1152

2.

3. Yes it represents a random sample. There are multiple factors that make this a random
sample, for starters each student was required to obtain their own bag so we automatically
know each student probably went to their own place to get a bag. This could include all sorts of
random places from the grocery store to a vending machine at their work. We all purchased
them at different times of the day, and maybe even for different prices depending on what the
vendor had them priced at. These are all examples of random sampling. Population usually
refers to data as a whole, so when it is broken up into groups those become the samples of
 SKITTLES PROJECT PART 3

1. The mean is 53

2. The standard deviation is 9.5

3. The 5 number summary is 26,57,59,60, 61

4.

5. The shape of the distribution would be skewed left because there is a smaller amount of data to
the left. The graphs do reflect what I expected to see because the mean of the bags collected
was 55, therefore I expected most bags to have around 55 skittles. The lowest numbers were 26
and 27, and the rest of the numbers were lower than 61. But there were only two bags out of
twenty one bags the were very low so I knew my graph would have a greater amount of data
towards the 50-60 range. Also, my own bag had 61 so I did expect a similar outcome from the
other bags. I wonder if the bags that had only 26 and 27 were a mini bag, or maybe the “king”
size bag is more common now so many of my classmates unknowingly bought a larger bag.
Either way, I was shocked to see a couple numbers so low.

6. A categorical variable separates data by, obviously, categories. These could be a number of
things, for example color, size, shape, race, height, the list could go on. Whereas quantitative is
a countable number, it is a numerical value. The type of graphs that make sense for categorical
data could be histograms, pie charts, or something similar. Types of graphs where you have
different areas to describe what the category is, and what the measurements are for those
specific categories. For example, on the Y axis you could have numbers listed, and on the X axis
you could have colors listed. So for the skittles project, I would use the x axis to list every color
of skittle counted for the class population. On the y axis I would make sure to start at zero, and
appropriately disperse the numbers until I reached the top of the y axis and the greatest
 SKITTLES PART 4

1. 0.20446 , 0.26854
2. 9.1237 , 13.924
3. We are confident that 95 percent of the time the mean will be between 20
and 27. We are confident that 99 percent of the time the mean will fall
between 9 and 14.
4. The purpose of a confidence interval is to find the true meaning behind
sampling. For example, the results of a confidence interval should
determine what the outcome will be for future samples. So according to
our collection of confidence intervals, if we were to collect 100 more
samples, we could be confident that 95% of the time we would get
between 9 and 14 yellow skittles per bag. This conclusion is drawn from a
sample of 21 bags of skittles and an average of 12 yellow skittles per bag.
This is important because it increases the effectiveness of true meaning
behind expectation and probability in experimenting.