Descriptive statistics is the typical starting point for a statistics course, and it can be tricky to teach because the material is more difficult than it first appears. The activities in this chapter focus more on the topics of data displays and transformations, rather than the mean, median, and standard deviation, which are covered easily in a textbook and on homework assignments. Specific topics include: distributions and handedness scores; extrapolation of time series and world record times for the mile run; linear combinations and economic indexes; scatter plots and exam scores; and logarithmic transformations and metabolic rates.
