Statistics
Winter Statistics Reflection
Income Inequality Spreadsheet
The most challenging mathematical problem I faced this semester was translating complex statistical equations into an excel spreadsheet. This was a collaborative effort between a group of students in my class.
The purpose of creating our spreadsheet was to create a template that we could plug data into to make complex income inequality metric calculations simple. After breaking into groups to specifically research one of the metrics (IQR, 20/20 ratio, Hoover Index, and Theil Index), we were then split into different groups with the tasks of finding data, creating the spreadsheet, and defining each of the metrics and key terms concerning income inequality.
We first went about accomplishing our goal by creating a system of spreadsheets for each type of metric, as well as a set of “dummy data” that we could link to our equations.
One of the largest obstacle we faced was linking equations to different pages within the spreadsheet. When done incorrectly, it would create an error within the spreadsheet, which we then had to hunt down by double-checking all of the equations in the preceding cells until the problem was found. We also faced several problems when we were doing the “if-then” statements that were necessary to find quartiles and quintiles within the data set, given that they were so complex to program.
Even though we had seven people collectively working on programming the spreadsheet, it was still incredibly difficult to troubleshoot when problems arose. Because we were working on a Google Doc, one of my classmates could have been re-formatting on a linked cell, or accidentally deleting a row of data, causing an ERROR message to flash across all of our screens. At times it certainly felt like we were stepping on each others’ toes trying to all work at the same time. We worked through this by maintaining strong communication and clearly delegating work as much as possible. Given that we had each done more research into one of the metrics, we tried to split it up so that the person who was the most knowledgeable about the mathematics was the one to do the programming. We also were continuously double-checking all of our work. When one of the numbers didn’t make sense, we would all drop what we were doing to help make sure that the equations were working the way that they needed to.
The end product was a three page spreadsheet with income data for counties across the country, all 50 states, and countries with varying degrees of inequality. This allowed us to quickly analyze huge amounts of data quickly and easily without repeatedly doing complex calculations, thus being more efficient.
Going forward, I believe that this project will truly benefit me. Although I am not interested in pursuing math as a career or a major, I developed skills that I can continue to use after high school. Programming spreadsheets will be useful no matter what field I go into. Should I choose to run my own business, and manage my own money, I will have to know how to organize data in a logical way and be able to program mathematical equations to make my life more efficient. Not only this, but this skill will serve me well in my more advanced college classes, where I may have to synthesize a large amount of data, or solve complex equations over and over again.
This project also taught me the skills of working in an unfamiliar subject with a larger group of people. None of us were truly well-versed in spreadsheet programming, but we ultimately all came together to support each other, and we recognized each other’s strengths and weaknesses in order to delegate properly. There were some truly difficult times, but by coming together and problem-solving as an open-minded group, we were able to be successful and create a tool that will be useful not only to us, but to our classmates as well.
The most challenging mathematical problem I faced this semester was translating complex statistical equations into an excel spreadsheet. This was a collaborative effort between a group of students in my class.
The purpose of creating our spreadsheet was to create a template that we could plug data into to make complex income inequality metric calculations simple. After breaking into groups to specifically research one of the metrics (IQR, 20/20 ratio, Hoover Index, and Theil Index), we were then split into different groups with the tasks of finding data, creating the spreadsheet, and defining each of the metrics and key terms concerning income inequality.
We first went about accomplishing our goal by creating a system of spreadsheets for each type of metric, as well as a set of “dummy data” that we could link to our equations.
One of the largest obstacle we faced was linking equations to different pages within the spreadsheet. When done incorrectly, it would create an error within the spreadsheet, which we then had to hunt down by double-checking all of the equations in the preceding cells until the problem was found. We also faced several problems when we were doing the “if-then” statements that were necessary to find quartiles and quintiles within the data set, given that they were so complex to program.
Even though we had seven people collectively working on programming the spreadsheet, it was still incredibly difficult to troubleshoot when problems arose. Because we were working on a Google Doc, one of my classmates could have been re-formatting on a linked cell, or accidentally deleting a row of data, causing an ERROR message to flash across all of our screens. At times it certainly felt like we were stepping on each others’ toes trying to all work at the same time. We worked through this by maintaining strong communication and clearly delegating work as much as possible. Given that we had each done more research into one of the metrics, we tried to split it up so that the person who was the most knowledgeable about the mathematics was the one to do the programming. We also were continuously double-checking all of our work. When one of the numbers didn’t make sense, we would all drop what we were doing to help make sure that the equations were working the way that they needed to.
The end product was a three page spreadsheet with income data for counties across the country, all 50 states, and countries with varying degrees of inequality. This allowed us to quickly analyze huge amounts of data quickly and easily without repeatedly doing complex calculations, thus being more efficient.
Going forward, I believe that this project will truly benefit me. Although I am not interested in pursuing math as a career or a major, I developed skills that I can continue to use after high school. Programming spreadsheets will be useful no matter what field I go into. Should I choose to run my own business, and manage my own money, I will have to know how to organize data in a logical way and be able to program mathematical equations to make my life more efficient. Not only this, but this skill will serve me well in my more advanced college classes, where I may have to synthesize a large amount of data, or solve complex equations over and over again.
This project also taught me the skills of working in an unfamiliar subject with a larger group of people. None of us were truly well-versed in spreadsheet programming, but we ultimately all came together to support each other, and we recognized each other’s strengths and weaknesses in order to delegate properly. There were some truly difficult times, but by coming together and problem-solving as an open-minded group, we were able to be successful and create a tool that will be useful not only to us, but to our classmates as well.