Data Matching

Age 14 to 18

Challenge Level Yellow star

The sets of data below have all got muddled up. Can you sort them out?

The sixteen sets of data below were generated by four different probability distributions. Four sets were taken from each of the four distributions.

By searching for patterns in the data, can you put the sets into groups of four which are likely to have come from the same distributions?

Set 1A
8	4	16	12	6
2	4	18	14	8
16	12	18	2	16
0	12	8	12	16
0	0	12	16	4
0	8	8	10	16
0	12	14	8	10
0	2	14	18	4
8	0	14	18	12
16	12	8	14	0

Set 1B
12	6	12	6	5
7	5	6	13	12
16	12	14	8	13
13	13	6	11	7
6	12	12	5	5
6	14	0	12	14
12	13	12	5	13
6	14	5	0	6
14	6	13	1	14
4	3	12	6	13

Set 1C
12	17	16	2	12
10	10	10	18	19
15	11	10	15	15
18	4	10	16	14
8	11	12	11	10
18	11	13	10	19
12	14	14	17	16
17	17	13	10	7
5	14	18	10	4
4	15	15	9	14

Set 1D
10	11	8	10	5
12	11	16	5	15
12	6	12	15	10
9	7	7	8	7
6	6	9	17	14
8	13	13	7	8
10	13	6	15	11
6	9	14	9	8
7	7	9	12	3
11	11	10	12	7

Set 1E
11	7	6	7	11
9	4	11	9	12
9	7	13	11	5
10	17	10	6	7
10	15	8	9	12
7	7	12	15	5
6	11	10	12	11
6	12	12	6	12
6	5	6	5	9
7	11	7	15	11

Set 1F
19	12	13	2	19
18	16	7	15	9
18	11	12	15	10
17	3	18	14	13
11	10	9	17	17
12	18	12	13	15
17	12	16	17	10
11	16	13	11	17
11	17	14	16	7
10	10	18	17	12

Set 1G
16	2	8	4	8
18	16	0	8	14
14	4	8	12	2
18	10	16	8	12
8	8	14	4	4
8	14	18	4	12
8	8	8	0	16
4	0	4	4	4
8	14	18	6	16
14	0	8	0	12

Set 1H
14	14	18	8	13
16	13	19	8	18
17	13	5	14	15
8	13	17	4	12
19	15	11	12	17
4	17	13	18	19
8	12	18	8	8
7	12	10	18	18
17	8	7	15	18
16	14	13	11	17

Set 1I
18	13	6	13	5
14	14	12	12	13
13	12	13	2	6
13	13	12	3	19
14	12	16	13	9
0	7	2	0	5
13	13	12	5	14
16	9	12	6	14
12	12	5	12	7
7	7	7	7	5

Set 1J
8	12	14	5	5
16	15	14	5	15
12	5	7	10	19
7	13	13	4	7
5	13	6	5	13
13	5	18	15	14
6	13	3	6	16
7	5	14	6	1
7	12	14	14	5
13	10	17	5	2

Set 1K
8	8	6	0	6
8	6	8	0	4
16	6	2	12	4
6	18	10	12	0
16	0	4	4	12
14	16	12	14	16
14	16	8	16	10
16	2	2	6	8
14	4	4	2	16
16	2	14	12	4

Set 1L
10	6	14	7	8
11	9	9	14	11
16	6	7	12	10
5	11	6	8	9
12	11	11	12	7
3	7	15	16	11
9	10	8	14	13
8	9	15	7	10
10	13	7	10	9
7	13	13	8	3

Set 1M
0	2	16	6	8
8	10	10	12	2
8	10	0	4	14
8	16	18	12	2
12	18	4	14	8
4	0	16	12	12
18	12	18	10	12
6	10	4	16	18
10	0	16	8	18
12	16	10	8	0

Set 1N
12	12	11	13	10
11	10	11	5	11
5	10	9	13	15
11	11	7	12	8
11	13	10	12	12
10	10	12	4	10
10	6	14	8	11
15	9	9	5	5
12	10	10	7	10
9	9	7	16	10

Set 1O
0	11	12	5	13
19	13	7	5	5
6	6	12	17	9
14	5	5	7	5
4	16	14	13	19
6	13	7	0	7
7	18	18	7	6
6	14	12	12	6
13	13	17	13	6
19	14	10	13	9

Set 1P
17	7	7	17	18
11	16	12	13	13
11	16	5	18	9
12	15	12	16	19
9	19	18	18	19
19	17	14	14	5
11	12	10	13	9
4	17	15	17	17
8	16	18	17	5
19	19	16	13	17

You may wish to use a computer to analyse the data. We have created a GeoGebra Worksheet which contains the data sets, so you can use the statistical tools in the spreadsheet function to examine each of the sixteen sets.

Alternatively, you can download this csv file: Data Matching, which can be opened by most spreadsheet software.

This resource is part of the collection Statistics - Maths of Real Life

Number and algebra

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Probability and statistics

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For younger learners

Data Matching

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