Mint Specs Listed below are weights (grams) from a simple random sample of pennies produced after 1983 (from Data Set 40 “Coin Weights” in Appendix B).


b. How does the result compare to the confidence interval found in Exercise 14 in Section 7-3?

Large Data Sets from Appendix B. In Exercises 21 and 22, use the data set in Appendix B. Assume that each sample is a simple random sample obtained from a population with a normal distribution.

Birth Weights Refer to Data Set 6 “Births” in Appendix B.

a. Use the 205 birth weights of girls to construct a 95% confidence interval estimate of the standard deviation of the population from which the sample was obtained.

FINDING SAMPLE SIZE Instead of using Table 7-2 for determining the sample size required to estimate a population standard deviation σ, the following formula can also be used

$n=\frac{1}{2}{\left(\frac{z_{\alpha /2}}{d}\right)}^2$

where $z_{{}_{}\alpha /2}$ corresponds to the confidence level and d is the decimal form of the percentage error. For example, to be 95% confident that s is within 15% of the value of σ, use zα/2=1.96 and d=0.15 to get a sample size of n=86. Find the sample size required to estimate the standard deviation of IQ scores of data scientists, assuming that we want 98% confidence that s is within 5% of σ.

7. FRESHMAN 15 Here is a sample of amounts of weight change (kg) of college students in their freshman year (from Data Set 13 “Freshman 15” in Appendix B): 11, 3, 0, –2, where –2 represents a loss of 2 kg and positive values represent weight gained. Here are ten bootstrap samples:

{11, 11, 11, 0}, {11, –2, 0, 11}, {11, –2, 3, 0}, {3, –2, 0, 11}, {0, 0, 0, 3}, {3, –2, 3, –2}, {11, 3, –2, 0}, {–2, 3, –2, 3}, {–2, 0, –2, 3}, {3, 11, 11, 11}.

b. Using only the ten given bootstrap samples, construct an 80% confidence interval estimate of the standard deviation of the weight changes for the population.

15. HEIGHTS OF FEMALE SOCCER PLAYERS Listed below are the heights (in.) of players on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (at the time of this writing). Use those heights as a sample of the heights of all professional women soccer players.

a. Use 1000 bootstrap samples to construct a 95% confidence interval estimate of σ.

Caffeine in Soft Drinks Listed below are measured amounts of caffeine (mg per 12 oz of drink) obtained in one can from each of 20 brands (7UP, A&W Root Beer, Cherry Coke, . . . , TaB).

b. Given that Exercise 20 in Section 7-2 used the same data for a 99% confidence interval based on use of the t distribution, and given that the data do not appear to be from a normally distributed population, which confidence interval is likely to be better: The confidence interval from part (a) or the confidence interval found in Exercise 20 in Section 7-2?

Estimating the Median Use the sample data listed in Exercise 1 “Bootstrap Requirements” to generate 1000 bootstrap samples, and find the median in each of those samples. After obtaining the 1000 sample medians, find the 95% confidence interval estimate of the population median by evaluating p2.5 and p97.5 from the sorted 1000 medians. Given that the sample times in Exercise 1 are from the 50 times in Data Set 20 “Alcohol and Tobacco in Movies” and those 50 times have a median of 5.5, how well did the bootstrap method work to create a “good” confidence interval?

Bachelor’s Degree in Four Years In a study of government financial aid for college students, it becomes necessary to estimate the percentage of full-time college students who earn a bachelor’s degree in four years or less. Find the sample size needed to estimate that percentage. Use a 0.1 margin of error, and use a confidence level of 95%.

a. Assume that nothing is known about the percentage to be estimated.

Bachelor’s Degree in Four Years In a study of government financial aid for college students, it becomes necessary to estimate the percentage of full-time college students who earn a bachelor’s degree in four years or less. Find the sample size needed to estimate that percentage. Use a 0.1 margin of error, and use a confidence level of 95%.

b. Assume that prior studies have shown that about 40% of full-time students earn bachelor’s degrees in four years or less.