Previous Project Topics

Spring, 1999

To explore the student usage and involvement of the UOP community in the Ted Baum Fitness Center on a daily basis. Investigated variables of workout length, visits per week, age, and gender of patrons, and their particular goals while at the center. To compare how much money students at UOP spent on books during the spring semester of 1999. To see if you spend more money during different years of school. What effect does parental marriage and divorce/separation have on the GPAs of the students of UOP? Is there a difference in GPAs between the gender of the students? We will investigate the mean and variance of GPAs of students in each category. The GPAs will be analyzed by the students' parents being married or divorced, as well as comparing the GPAs of males and females. To compare prices of UOP Bookstore and Amazon.com. To compare price difference of UOP Bookstore and Amazon.com among different schools. To determine if there was an assocation between the proportion of each of the six colors of M&Ms and the five types of M&Ms. Also compared to the proportions claimed by Mars across the 5 types. To see if it is beneficial to bet on the predicted outcomes in the NCAA Tournaments of Men's College Basketball.

Math 39

To determine what effect, if any, an individual's skill has on their odds of obtaining certain hands of poker. To compare the notoriety of different categories of celebrities and public figures among three different age groups. To determine the average slowing time of UOP campus drivers at the intersection of Stadiuma nd Kensington during daytime hours and to analyze possible factors affecting that average slowing time.

Fall, 1998 (Chance)

To test the claim that Chips Ahoy Original 18 ounce chocolate chip cookie bags contain at least 1,000 chocolate chips.  Also to see if 3 randomly selected 18 oz. brands of chocolate chip chookes also contain at least 1,000 chips per bag.
  To determine if one's personal appearance has an impact on whether people would help or not.  Also if the subjects' gdnder has an effect on his or her decision to help.
  To find whether or not there are significant differences between male and female reaction times, and also whether or not athletes have better reaction times than non-athletes do.
  To examine the physical characteristic of the toes as an indicator of intelligence and/or athletic ability.  Although some may not see any connection between these two variables, we feel there may be some truth to this myth.
  To determine if there was a difference in performance between Energizer and Duracell batteries.  Also in determining whether the type of appliance used would have an impact on the batteries' performance.
  To find out whether or not there is a difference between the advertised weights of regular and wild berry skittles and their observed weights.
  To know whether or not the recommended serving size on product labels was representative of what people really would consider one serving.  Also compared gender, age, and whether or not we regarded the participants as athletes or non-athletes.
  In which container, bottle or can, and at which temperature, room temperature of 25 degree Celsius or regrigerator of 16 degrees Celsius, will Pepsi drink stay carbonated longer?
  To see if all brands of tissue have the same durability.  Used various types of liquids such as water, rubbing alcohol, soda, and soap.

Spring, 1998 (Chance)

Investigated whether a majority of students prefer regular gum to sugarless gum in a double blind taste test. Also examined the association between gum preference and other variables - gender, normal gum preference, sugar substitute concerns, reasons for chewing gum, and nutritional intake awareness. Surveyed subjects to assess opinion of which gender they think is a better driver. Asked questions about driving history to see if there was a difference in safety. The experiment involved testing the absorbency of three generic and three grand name paper towels which were selected via simple random smaple from Target and S-Mart. Five trials were performed for each towel brand against water, orange juice, and milk. To determine if living in a dorm or sorority affected a student's GPA. Compared the change in grades from freshman to sophomore year. Do freshmen students at UOP feel they have to feign historical intelligence on surveys? Does this depend on whether or not students have to write their names on the survey? Students were presented with various historical acts, some real, some invented. Examined what types of over-the-counter drugs are more commonly chosen. Interestedin finding if there is an asspciation in picking a particular OTC drug within majors, gender, and choice of a specific preference. Wanted to find out which pain relievers are preferred among UOP students and, in particular, we wanted to contrast the preferences between athletes and non-athletes. In addition, investigated the possibility of a gender difference. To compare pierced ear holds between males and females and between students from the different schools at UOP who dine in the Elbert Covell Dining Hall.

Math 39

Do the stereotypes of movies (e.g. chick-flick, action adventure) really reflect a difference in movie preference? To determine if there was a relationship between (1) constituent school attended and whether or not students ate breakfast and (2) gender and whether or not students ate breakfast. Is there an ability difference between females and males in academia as they get older? Can we determine which sex seems to have a higher proficiency in selected academic subjects? To assess the student satisfaction level, based on the educational skills used (computer use, management, communication and relation to major), of an engineering CO-OP experience. Also to determine if there is an association between majors and income earned. The influence of gender, school of enrollment, and class standing on the GPA of students at UOP were analyzed. To determine the accuracy one may expect to receive if any person at random was asked for the time.

Fall, 1997 (Chance)

Conducted an experiment to see if preference among 4 apples varied when the subjects could see the apple versus when they were blindfolded -BC. To see if there is an association between color preference and gender, between color preference and age, and between color preference of individuals and the colors they think the opposite sex likes. Used injury rate as a predictor of winning percentage for teams in 3 major sports (NBA, NFL, NBA) - BC Wanted to find out if the students on the UOP campus prefer regualr beer (i.e. Coors) or light beer (i.e. Coors Light). The generic question we wanted to answer was "When is the best time to find a parking space in the Long Theater Parking Lot?" The purpose of our study was to test the reasons why UOP science students choose their sopas, ifantibacterial effectiveness is one of their deciding factors, and to test the real antibacterial effectiveness of science students' favorite soaps. Which microware popcorn pops more? the purpose of the following project was to determine if one floavor and/or brand of microwave popcorn would give the consumer a higher percentage of popped kernals? Determined how often drivers used turn signal and if this rate was effected by gender, day of week, or time of day - BC

Spring, 1997 (Chance)

We randomly chose ten different juices off a list of twenty juices. Then we divided them into two different groups based on whether or not they included natural flavors. We allowed mold to grow naturally for 20 days and then compared the data of each group of juices to determine if they molded at the same rate. Our goal was to compare the slopes of two juice groups' regression lines. If the slopes are the same, the two juices mold at the same rate. If the slopes differ, the two juice groups mold at different rates. This project consisted of two phases. The group decided to place cookies on a table at the corner of Stagg Way and Stadium Drive on campus. The first phase recorded the reactions of people that passed by the table, with no persuasion involved. The second phase recorded the responses of people who were confronted, asked to take a cookie, and to please donate to a foundation. This helped us to see if there as a significant different between male and female behavior (donating or not donating to the foundation) for the two phases. In this observational study, speeds for cars were measured on a local street in Stockton in order to determine if there was a significant difference in speeds among the gender of the drive or the color of the car. Data was collected over a two hour period in one day. It was then determined statistically that neither gender nor car color showed differences in the speeds of the automobile. The human body is composed of a complex framework which is affected by many factors. This study looks at the relationships between a handful of these internal and external factors. It addresses physiological aspects by examining the affects of exam type, confidence, and gender on a subject's heart rate. It also addresses psychological aspects of the human framework by examining the affects of the exam type and the subject's gender on their confidence level. There has always been a debate among males and females over who is smarter than the other. The debate starts at a very young age, and yet still continues today. Our goal for this project is to find out if there is a relationship between gender and GPA for the upperclassmen at UOP. We also saw if there was a relationship between gender and major or major and GPA. We observed children between the ages of 4 and 5 at randomly selected Stockton day care centers and schools to determine the likelihood of the gender of a child's chosen peers and the subsequent number of interactions with each gender. We want to see if the number of interactions between males and females are the same for each gender. We wanted to know if there was a difference between the amount of concerts women and men attend. Specifically, we were looking for the number of UOP freshmen who attended concerts in the fall semester. We also wanted to know if there was a particular music genre that was preferred among the men and women freshman of UOP. At the University of the Pacific, does year in school, race, or gender have an affect upon the number of activities a student is involved in on campus? What does Mar's put into a bag of M&Ms. Do they fill by weight or by count? Are all bags of peanut M&Ms the same overall composition? Finally does a bag of peanut M&Ms actually come out like Mar's claim? The objective of this study was to see if there were more blue or white cars on the UOP campus and to see if this proportion matched what students said they would prefer to drive: a white or blue car. This was accomplished through a survey of UOP students and also an observational survey of the frequency of blue and white cars on campus. The purpose of this study was to see if the fact that women live together in a sorority has an influence on the frequency that they workout. By comparing the heights, weights and frequency of workout of a sample of sorority women to those of all women for the same age group we can determine whether there is any difference between sorority women and women in general age 18-23. The purpose of our project was to determine if there is any association between a golfer's quality of equipment and their income, their quality of equipment and age, or their quality of equipment and ability. In our project, we decided to test the question, "Which lemon-flavored iced tea do people prefer, Snapple or Lipton?" and "Is there an association between gender and brand preference?" using a blind taste test with randomly selected residents from a local apartment building. The age old question is how many licks does it take to get to the center of the tootsie pop. We decided to discover who gets to the center faster, male or female University of the Pacific students. Also, does the experimenter affect the results of such an experiment? Why do people live on campus? Often people complain about having to live in residence halls their first two years here at UOP. We would like to see the reasons why people live on campus. We attempt to address this question by determining if there is a relationship among housing type (residence halls and apartments) and reason for living on campus, as well as distance from home. This study explore the degree to which UOP undergraduates believe they engage in university-wide activities. Mean rankings were compared: male opinions versus those of females, freshmen opinions versus those of seniors, and Greek members' opinions versus those of non-Greek students. We completed a study to determine whether eating disorders are more prevalent in sororities or in a college dormitory, Grace Covell. Assuming that the eating disorder problem is at a higher degree in sororities, this test hopes to disprove or reaffirm our assumption.

Fall, 1996 (Chance)

Summer, 1996 (Chance)

The STATS Workshop participants also completed projects, you can view their reports here

Spring, 1996

Math 37 (Chance)

Math 39 (Chance)

Spring 1995 (Chance)

Please continue to check here, I will be adding more project titles soon.

Return to Math 37 page .