12. Explain and give an example for each of the following types of variables: (a) equal-interval, (b) rank-order, (c) nominal, (d) ratio scale, (e) continuous.

15. Following are the speeds of 40 cars clocked by radar on a particular road in a 35-mph zone on a particular afternoon: 30, 36, 42, 36, 30, 52, 36, 34, 36, 33, 30, 32, 35, 32, 37, 34, 36, 31, 35, 20, 24, 46, 23, 31, 32, 45, 34, 37, 28, 40, 34, 38, 40, 52, 31, 33, 15, 27, 36, 40

Make (a) a frequency table and (b) a histogram. Then (c) describe the general shape of the distribution.

19. Give an example of something having these distribution shapes: (a) bimodal, (b) approximately rectangular, and (c) positively skewed. Do not use an example given in this book or in class.

20. Find an example in a newspaper or magazine of a graph that misleads by failing to use equal interval sizes or by exaggerating proportions.

22. Mouradian (2001) surveyed college students selected from a screening session to include two groups: (a) “Perpetrators”—students who reported at least one violent act (hitting, shoving, etc.) against their partner in their current or most recent relationship—and (b) “Comparisons”—students who did not report any such uses of violence in any of their last three relationships. At the actual testing session, the students first read a description of an aggressive behavior such as, “Throw something at his or her partner” or “Say something to upset his or her partner.” They then were asked to write “as many examples of circumstances of situations as [they could] in which a person might engage in behaviors or acts of this sort with or towards their significant other.” Table 1–11 shows the “Dominant Category of Explanation” (the category a participant used most) for females and males, broken down by comparisons and perpetrators. (a) Using this table as an example, explain the idea of a frequency table to a person who has never had a course in statistics. (b) Explain the general meaning of the pattern of results