Listed below are the ages of actressesand actors at the times that they won Oscars for the categories of Best Actress and Best Actor. The ages are listed in chronological order by row, so that corresponding locations in the two tables are from the same year. (Notes: In 1968 there was a tie in the Best Actress category, and the mean of the two ages is used; in 1932 there was a tie in the Best Actor category, and the mean of the two ages is used. These data are suggested by the article “Ages of Oscar-winning Best Actors and Actresses,” by Richard Brown and Gretchen Davis, Mathematics Teacher magazine. In that article, the year of birth of the award winner was subtracted from the year of the awards ceremony, but the ages in the tables below are based on the birth date of the winner and the date of the awards ceremony.)

Analyzing the Results

1. First explore the data using suitable statistics and graphs. Use the results to make informal comparisons.

2. Determine whether there are significant differences between the ages of the Best Actresses and the ages of the Best Actors. Use appropriate hypothesis tests. Describe the methods used and the conclusions reached.

3. Discuss cultural implications of theresults. Does it appear that actresses and actors are judged strictly on the basis of their artistic abilities? Or does there appear to be discrimination based on age, with the Best Actresses tending to be younger than the Best Actors? Are there any other notable differences?