In the last 5 weeks, you have learned the following analysis methodologies: Descriptive statistics, probability calculations, normal distribution calculations, hypothesis testing, regression, and forecasting.

In this Discussion, you will explore how you can apply these methodologies to current events.

Research an article on a current event that centers on a controversial issue where the two sides are claiming opposing views. Then describe how you would analyze the situation to settle the issue if you were involved in this event. For example, if the article was about whether a proposed new law about gun control will reduce deaths, you may describe how you would use hypothesis testing to compare data from states where such laws exist. Or, if the article was about actions to take to reduce gas prices, you could talk about how you would use regression to figure out which factors affected prices at the pump the most.

Please note that this Discussion should be limited to how statistical analysis can be applied to current issues. This is not the place to champion a particular position on the issue you are discussing or get into an argument about the various sides of an issue. Remember, you are here to analyze, not proselytize.

Please use the template below in your answers, so everyone can easily follow your answers to all the questions (copy and paste to your post).

Use this template for your Unit 6 Discussion.

Summary of the article

Briefly describe the current event described in the article.

Central question

What issue or question you will you be focusing on in your analysis? What are the conflicting points of view?

There has to be some specific issue in dispute at the center (do tax breaks increase spending, what impacts healthcare costs the most, etc.), and the sides have to be defending a particular position.

Do not use examples where the issue is based on opinions or morality. For example, "Should abortion be legal?" is largely a morality question and is not suitable for statistical analysis. Conducting a survey to ask people about their opinions is not the same as analyzing data and making conclusions.

Methodology

Explain which methodology you will apply. Provide the relevant details. Where will your data come from? How will the results from this methodology answer the question you described above?

For example, if you are going to use forecasting, explain how you will do that and how you will measure your accuracy. How will the forecast settle the issue? If you will do a regression analysis, explain what the dependent and independent variables will be. If you do hypothesis testing, what will the null and alternative hypothesis be?

Remember:

1) It must be an article and the opposing viewpoints must be in the article. Don't make up your own issue. You need to have a reference to the article after your post. I get a lot of this kind of stuff: article is about the recent beauty pageant, student says "should there be beauty pageants?" which is not a question in the article, but one that the student made up. The article must be discussing the opposing viewpoints.

2) Article must be about a current issue.

3) There must be some sort of question at the center whose answer is not known for sure (do tax breaks increase spending, what impacts health care costs the most, etc).

4) You must be specific in presenting the different sides - what view is each of them defending? One-sided issues do not work here. This works: "Do gun control laws reduce crime or not." It's controversial, it has proponents of two clearly opposing sides and statistics can help settle the issue.

People just like to fight over ideas without real evidence but you now have the tools to prove things, or show how probable/improbable things are. This should be fun- you learned a bunch of methods, see if you can put them to use to resolve these tough questions.

A common mistake is to state some issue and then name a methodology without explaining how that methodology will settle the question. I get things like "Arizona immigration law is controversial and we can use forecasting for this." Unless you explainwhat needs to be forecasted andhow that will settlewhich issue, the suggestion is meaningless.

Please site your reference article