Estimating Standard Deviation Listed below are sorted weights (g) of a sample of M&M plain candies randomly selected from one bag. Use the range rule of thumb to estimate the value of the standard deviation of all 345 M&Ms in the bag. Compare the result to the standard deviation of 0.0366 g computed from all of the 345 M&Ms in the bag.
Table of contents
- 1. Intro to Stats and Collecting Data55m
- 2. Describing Data with Tables and Graphs1h 55m
- 3. Describing Data Numerically1h 45m
- 4. Probability2h 16m
- 5. Binomial Distribution & Discrete Random Variables2h 33m
- 6. Normal Distribution and Continuous Random Variables1h 38m
- 7. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Mean1h 53m
- 8. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Proportion1h 12m
- 9. Hypothesis Testing for One Sample2h 19m
- 10. Hypothesis Testing for Two Samples3h 22m
- 11. Correlation1h 6m
- 12. Regression1h 4m
- 13. Chi-Square Tests & Goodness of Fit1h 20m
- 14. ANOVA1h 0m
3. Describing Data Numerically
Standard Deviation
Problem 3.3.7a
Textbook Question
z Scores. In Exercises 5–8, express all z scores with two decimal places.
New York City Commute Time New York City commute times (minutes) are listed in Data Set 31 “Commute Times” in Appendix B. The 1000 times have a mean of 42.6 minutes and a standard deviation of 26.2 minutes. Consider the commute time of 95.0 minutes.
a. What is the difference between the commute time of 95.0 minutes and the mean commute time?

1
Step 1: Understand the problem. We are tasked with finding the difference between a specific commute time (95.0 minutes) and the mean commute time (42.6 minutes). This is a straightforward subtraction problem.
Step 2: Write the formula for the difference. The difference can be expressed as: Difference = X - μ, where X is the specific commute time (95.0 minutes) and μ is the mean commute time (42.6 minutes).
Step 3: Substitute the given values into the formula. Replace X with 95.0 and μ with 42.6 in the formula: Difference = 95.0 - 42.6.
Step 4: Perform the subtraction operation to find the difference. This will give you the numerical value of how much the specific commute time deviates from the mean commute time.
Step 5: Interpret the result. The difference represents how many minutes the specific commute time (95.0 minutes) is above the mean commute time (42.6 minutes).

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Z-Score
A Z-score is a statistical measurement that describes a value's relationship to the mean of a group of values. It is calculated by subtracting the mean from the value and then dividing by the standard deviation. This standardizes scores on a common scale, allowing for comparison across different datasets.
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Mean
The mean, or average, is a measure of central tendency that is calculated by summing all values in a dataset and dividing by the number of values. In the context of the commute times, the mean represents the typical commute duration, providing a baseline for comparison with individual commute times.
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Standard Deviation
Standard deviation is a statistic that quantifies the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of values. A low standard deviation indicates that the values tend to be close to the mean, while a high standard deviation indicates that the values are spread out over a wider range. It is crucial for understanding how individual commute times relate to the average.
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