For each of the three writing prompts below, respond with about 120 – 170 words.

Prompt 1: 

Have you read any articles, books, or blogs that referenced any statistics? The statistics could be simple, like the average rushing yards per carry, or more involved, like the results of a new experimental drug. Write a paragraph about what statistics were referenced and what event they were describing. Tell if you understood all of it or just some of it. Try to think of any other statistics that you might like to have seen in the article.

Prompt 2:

Are there any events, technology, or financial topics about which you would like more information? Examples: “Has car fuel efficiency gotten better in the last 20 years?” “Which mutual funds showed an average growth greater than Google over the last 10 years?” Choose one or more of your own ideas and also state why you would like to know more about them.

Prompt 3: 

For many years, people have discovered spurious correlations between two seemingly unrelated variables. For example, there is a correlation between the amount of margarine consumed in the U.S. and the divorce rate in Maine. Do a quick search on spurious correlations and find one or more that are funny to you. Try to make up a reason why the two variables might be related.