7. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Mean

Find the critical value $t_{\frac{\alpha }{2}}$for an 80% confidence interval given a sample size of 51.

Find the critical value $t_{\frac{\alpha }{2}}$for a 95% confidence interval given a sample size of 6.

For which of the following scenarios can you NOT create a confidence interval using the standard normal or t-distribution?

You ask 16 people in your Statistics class what their grade is. The data appears to be distributed normally. You find a sample mean and sample standard deviation of 60 and 24, respectively. Construct and interpret a 95% confidence interval for the population mean class grade.

You want to take a trip to Paris. You randomly select 225 flights to Europe and find a mean and sample standard deviation of $1500 and $900, respectively. Construct and interpret a 95% confidence interval for the true mean price for a trip to Paris.

You want to purchase one of the new Altima. You randomly select 400 dealerships across the United States and find a mean of $25,000 and sample standard deviation of $2500. Construct and interpret a 94% confidence interval for the true mean price for the new Nissan Altima.

Ages of Prisoners The accompanying frequency distribution summarizes sample data consisting of ages of randomly selected inmates in federal prisons (based on data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons). Use the data to construct a 95% confidence interval estimate of the mean age of all inmates in federal prisons.

Finite Population Correction Factor If a simple random sample of size n is selected without replacement from a finite population of size (n>0.05N), and the sample size is more than 5% of the population size , better results can be obtained by using the finite population correction factor, which involves multiplying the margin of error E by [Image]. Refer to the weights of the M&M candies in Data Set 38 “Candies” in Appendix B.

b. Use only the red M&Ms and treat that sample as a simple random sample selected from the population of the 345 M&Ms listed in the data set. Find the 95% confidence interval estimate of the mean weight of all 345 M&Ms. Compare the result to the actual mean of the population of all 345 M&Ms.

Red Blood Cell Count Here is a 95% confidence interval estimate of obtained by using the red blood cell counts of adult females listed in Data Set 1 “Body Data” in Appendix B:

[Image].

Identify the corresponding confidence interval estimate of and include the appropriate units.

Use the given information to find the number of degrees of freedom, the critical values X2L and X2R, and the confidence interval estimate of σ. It is reasonable to assume that a simple random sample has been selected from a population with a normal distribution:

Nicotine in Menthol Cigarettes 95% confidence; n = 25, s = 0.24 mg

use the given information to find the number of degrees of freedom, the critical values X2L and X2R, and the confidence interval estimate of σ. It is reasonable to assume that a simple random sample has been selected from a population with a normal distribution:

Heights of Men 99% confidence; n=153, s=7.10 cm.

Body Temperature Data Set 5 “Body Temperatures” in Appendix B includes a sample of 106 body temperatures having a mean of and a standard deviation of 0.62F (for day 2 at 12 AM). Construct a 95% confidence interval estimate of the standard deviation of the body temperatures for the entire population.

Mean Assume that we want to use the sample data given in Exercise 1 with the bootstrap method to estimate the population mean. The mean of the values in Exercise 1 is 54.3 seconds, and the mean of all of the tobacco times in Data Set 20 “Alcohol and Tobacco in Movies” from Appendix B is 57.4 seconds. If we use 1000 bootstrap samples and find the corresponding 1000 means, do we expect that those 1000 means will target 54.3 seconds or 57.4 seconds? What does that result suggest about the bootstrap method in this case?

In Exercises 5–8, (a) identify the critical value ta/2 used for finding the margin of error, (b) find the margin of error, (c) find the confidence interval estimate of u, and (d) write a brief statement that interprets the confidence interval.

Pepsi Weights Here are summary statistics for the weights of Pepsi in randomly selected cans: n=36, x=0.82410 lb, s=0.00570 lb (based on Data Set 37 “Cola Weights and Volumes” in Appendix B). Use a confidence level of 99%.

Mean Body Temperature Data Set 5 “Body Temperatures” in Appendix B includes a sample of 106 body temperatures having a mean of 98.20 F and a standard deviation of 0.62 F. Construct a 95% confidence interval estimate of the mean body temperature for the entire population. What does the result suggest about the common belief that 98.6 F is the mean body temperature?