David and Goliath
Does weight confer an advantage to shot putters?
Problem
In the tables below are some of the top performing shot putters of all time, their weight in kilograms, and the distance they threw in metres.
Look at the two data sets. Do any results stand out?
What questions occur to you?
Choose appropriate statistical analyses to answer some of your questions.
Are there any other data you will need to collect?
You may wish to download this spreadsheet containing the two data sets.
It is suggested that heavier competitors are at an advantage in the shot put.
Do the data support that claim?
What would be the effect on the competition of introducing weight categories (like those found in boxing or weightlifting), or giving lighter shots to lighter competitors?
| Name | Weight (kg) | Distance (m) |
| Randy Barnes | 137 | 23.12 |
| Ulf Timmermann | 118 | 23.06 |
| Alessandro Andrei | 118 | 22.91 |
| Werner Günthör | 130 | 22.75 |
| Kevin Toth | 144 | 22.67 |
| Udo Beyer | 135 | 22.64 |
| John Brenner | 127 | 22.52 |
| Adam Nelson | 115 | 22.51 |
| Reese Hoffa | 133 | 22.43 |
| Sergey Smirnov | 126 | 22.24 |
| John Godina | 129 | 22.20 |
| Sergey Gavryushin | 95 | 22.10 |
| Sergey Kasnauskas | 126 | 22.09 |
| Aleksandr Baryshnikov | 130 | 22.00 |
| Gregg Tafralis | 132 | 21.98 |
| Mikhail Kostin | 120 | 21.96 |
| Tomasz Majewski | 132 | 21.95 |
| Remigius Machura | 118 | 21.93 |
| Cottrell J. Hunter | 135 | 21.87 |
| Mike Stulce | 122 | 21.82 |
Women's Shot Put:
| Name | Weight (kg) | Distance (m) |
| Natalya Lisovskaya | 105 | 22.63 |
| Ilona Briesenick | 95 | 22.45 |
| Helena Fibingerová | 95 | 22.32 |
| Claudia Losch | 84 | 22.19 |
| Meisu Li | 92 | 21.76 |
| Natalya Akhrimenko | 90 | 21.73 |
| Vita Pavlysh | 90 | 21.69 |
| Xinmei Sui | 90 | 21.66 |
| Verzhinia Veselinova | 95 | 21.61 |
| Margitta Pufe | 90 | 21.58 |
| Ines Müller | 90 | 21.57 |
| Nunu Abashidze | 105 | 21.53 |
| Zhihong Huang | 100 | 21.52 |
| Larisa Peleshenko | 95 | 21.46 |
| Heike Hartwig | 95 | 21.31 |
| Liane Schmuhl | 90 | 21.27 |
| Astrid Kumbernuss | 90 | 21.22 |
| Kathrin Neimke | 90 | 21.21 |
| Helma Knorscheidt | 90 | 21.19 |
| Heidi Krieger | 95 | 21.10 |
Data source: IAAF
Mass of shot for male competitors: 7.260 kg (16 lb)
Mass of shot for female competitors: 4 kg (8.82 lb)
Getting Started
You could plot the data on a scatter graph to give you a feel for any relationships.
Teachers' Resources
Why do this problem?
This problem encourages students to engage with a data set, pose their own questions about it, and perform some statistical analysis to try to answer their questions. The real-life sporting context provides a 'hook' to draw students in to speculation and discussion about how to compete on a level playing field.
Possible approach
Key questions
Possible extension
Consider other athletic events where attributes such as height or weight might confer an advantage. Collect some data and analyse it to see whether there is a case to be made for some sort of 'handicapping' system.
Possible support
Make it clear to students that there are no right or wrong answers in this task, but that you are looking for answers with good statistical justifications.