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Data Analysis Data Analysis Basics The Data Analysis Process Defining Terms

Posted by Moses Wynn
Moses Wynn
20,461 Points

Particular value seems arbitrary.

When choosing the value for Max Difference in this video, I can't see any reason why this particular number was chosen. Can someone provide more details as to why he would halve the runners per age to obtain the max difference?

1 Answer

codyl
codyl
4,704 Points
codyl
codyl
4,704 Points

The number of runners per age (IF you take the oldest person, and the youngest persons age, look at the difference, and divide by the total number or runners) was ~400. Which means if youngest was 18, and there were 400x 18 year olds, and 400x 19 year olds and 400x, 20, 21, 22, 23, etc. to 84 that would total the amount of runners and be perfectly distributed. So the number would be impossible to be over 400, and unlikely to even be near it.

From there it's just some assumptions as to what's too low. If an age had 100, it might seem they're under represented as they're only 1/4 of what's possible given the total number of runners under a 'even' distribution.

So I think 200 was picked as it just happens to be sort if in the middle / half of what the max would be under a 100% even distribution and a 'good enough' assumption to use for the lesson.