MATH 370

QUIZ # 9 (due Tuesday 11/25)

NAME_________________

1. [1 pt] How would you respond to a friend who asks you, How can we say that the sample
mean is a random variable when it is just a number, like the population mean? For instance, a
simple random sample of size 50 produced the mean of 94; how can the number 94 be a random
variable?
2. [2 pts] Two populations are surveyed with simple random samples. A sample size n1 is used
for population 1, which has a population standard deviation 1 ; a sample of size n2 = 2 n1 is used
for population 2, which has a population standard deviation 2 = 2 1 . In which of the two
samples would you expect the estimate of the population mean to be more accurate? Explain.
3. [2 pts] Suppose that a simple random sample is used to estimate the proportion of families in a
certain area that are living below the poverty level. If the proportion is roughly 0.15, what
sample size is necessary so the standard error of the estimate if 0.02?
4. Twelve samples of a certain brand of white bread were analyzed and the carbohydrate content
of each sample was determined, yielding the following data:
76.93 76.88 77.07 73.68 74.39 75.09 76.88 77.67 79.15 76.50 78.16 76.42
a) Find the sample mean and sample standard deviation. (You are allowed to use the
calculators build-in program to obtain the answers directly without showing any
computational work.) [1 pt]
b) Assuming that the distribution of carbohydrate content is normal, calculate a 95%
confidence interval for the true average carbohydrate content for this brand (Show
work in detail!). Interpret the 95% confidence interval. Is this interval valid whatever
the nature of the distribution? Explain. [3 pts]
c) Calculate a 95% confidence interval for the population standard deviation. [2 pts]
5. [3 pts] If 74 of 250 persons who watched a certain television program in black and white and
92 of 250 persons who watched the same program in color remembered two hours later what
products were advertised, construct a 99% confidence interval for the difference between the
corresponding population proportions. Can you conclude there is a difference? Explain. [5 pts]
6. [6 pts] Tennis elbow is thought to be aggravated by the impact experienced when hitting the
ball. The force on the hand just after impact on a one-handed backhand drive for six advances
players and for eight intermediate players were reported as sown below:
Type of
player
Advanced
Intermediate

Sample
size
6
8

Sample mean

Sample SD

40.3
21.4

11.3
8.3

Assume both force distribution were normal. Calculate a 90% confidence interval for the
difference between true average force for advanced players and the true average force for
intermediate players. Does the interval provide compelling evidence for concluding that the
forces for the two players are the same? What assumptions do you use for constructing thus 90%

confidence interval? Check if the two population variances are equal by constructing a 90%
confidence interval. Are they the same?