Maths EPQ ideas: statistics and data
Sampling, probability and hypothesis testing applied to real data and real claims. Public data from the ONS and others make these practical.
Tip. Decide your test and your measures before you look at the data.
9 ideas
- Benford's law in UK dataDoes Benford's law hold for UK data sets, and could it detect made-up numbers?
- Shared birthdays in real classesHow likely are shared birthdays in real classes, given that births are not spread evenly through the year?
- Why do opinion polls miss?Why do opinion polls sometimes get UK general elections wrong?
- Simpson's paradox in real dataWhen can combining groups of data reverse a conclusion, and how should we decide which answer is right?
- Does sacking a football manager work?Does sacking a football manager improve results, or is it regression to the mean?
- P-values and the replication crisisWhy do so many published results fail to replicate, and how much is the p-value to blame?
- Can people be random?Can people generate random sequences, and how can statistics tell?
- How accurate are weather forecasts?How accurate are UK weather forecasts, and what is the fairest way to measure accuracy?
- Is the lottery a fair game?Is a national lottery a fair game, and what is a ticket really worth?
Frequently asked questions
Is statistics and data a good area for a maths EPQ?
It can be, if you narrow it to one question you can answer with mathematics you understand and evidence you can find. Decide your test and your measures before you look at the data.
Can I use one of these titles as it is?
Use it as a starting point. Change the case, the data or the comparison until the title is your own, and agree it with your supervisor before you start.
Other areas: Pure · Modelling · History and philosophy · Economics and society · Computer science · Physics and engineering · Biology and medicine · Music, art and sport · Artefacts
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