Statistics
Activity:
Intro to Central Limit Theorem
Posted on May 5, 2008
Topic: Sampling Distributions
In this activity, students discover the Central Limit Theorem by simulating rolls of two, four, and seven number cubes via the random number generator. They find sample means and standard deviations and construct histograms of the sample distributions.
Downloads
Select Teacher or Student files from the drop down menu. Click on the file type you want to download.
Downloaded: 825
Activity Key Steps:
In problem 1, students are grouped by threes. The first person simulates rolling two number cubes 10 times, saying the results of each roll aloud.
The second person will calculate the means of the two numbers on their home screen.
The third person will record the means, both in the spreadsheet.
Students perform a simulation of rolling two number cubes, finding the means, and recording them in the spreadsheet and on the worksheet.
The groups finish, they discuss the answers to the questions. They will see that in the Central Limit Theorem (CLT) the distribution of sample means becomes normal as n increases, regardless of the shape of the distribution of the population. It could also be normal, skewed, bimodal, or have no pattern.
At the end of this activity, students will be able to state the Central Limit Theorem.