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PM299.1: QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND MANAGEMENT

Exercise Number 1
Date Due: 24 February 2020

Exercise Number 1: The Research Process and Levels of Measurement

1-20 Identify the level of measurement of the 12 variables. Explain your answer.

Identify the level of Explanation for Determine

measurement choosing the level of whether
Variable measurement categorical or
continuous

Health status
Zip Code
Room or Office Number in a
building
Hours spent studying in one
week
Social class ranking
Brain cancer rates in geographic
regions
Social security number
Size of coffee cup
Golf score (above and below
par)
Height (converts the inches
measurement into a new
scale by calculating the
difference between each child’s
actual height and the average
height for this age group. A child
who is 1 inch taller than average
now gets a score
of _1; a child 4 inches taller than
average gets a score of _4.
Similarly, a child who
is 2 inches shorter than average
gets a score of _2. On this scale,
a score of zero corresponds to
average height.
Letter Grades (A, B, C, D, and F)
Number of Children
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21-30 Based on your work experience, specify a Research Problem and the corresponding
objective/s. Identify three independent variables and one dependent variable of your
identified research problem (10 points).

• Research Problem:
• Objective/s:
• Independent Variables:
• Dependent Variable:

31-40 For each of the three independent variables and the dependent variable, indicate how you
will operationally define these variables. For example, you want to measure the quality of
education, you can use the results of the National Secondary Assessment Test (NSAT) or
numerical grade at the end of secondary schools. (10 points)

Variable Operational Definition

41-60 Jaime and Juan earn income from buying and selling agricultural commodities. On average, who
earned more during the past eight working days? Whose income is more stable? What test/s can be
used to support your answer? Show your computation. (20 points)

Daily Earnings
Jaime Juan
200 200
210 20
190 400
201 0
199 390
195 10
205 200
200 380
Note: Hypothetical data

61-80 The following table shows the grouped data, in classes, for the height of 50 people. Calculate
the mean and the standard deviation ( 20 points).

height (in cm) - classes frequency

120 <- 130 2
130 <- 140 5
140 <- 150 25
150 <- 160 10
160 <- 170 8
Note: Hypothetical data
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81-100 A snack size bag of peanut candies contain 21 candies with different colors as shown
below. Construct a frequency distribution showing the absolute and relative frequency
(12 points). Construct the most appropriate chart (5 points). Interpret the results of
your analysis (3 points).

Brown Green Brown Blue

Red Red Green Brown
Yellow Orange Green Blue
Brown Blue Blue Brown
Orange Blue Brown Orange
Yellow
Hypothetical data