7. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Mean

When estimating the population mean, why not construct a 99% confidence interval every time?

Soccer Balls A soccer ball manufacturer wants to estimate the mean circumference of soccer balls within 0.15 inch.

a. Determine the minimum sample size required to construct a 99% confidence interval for the population mean. Assume the population standard deviation is 0.5 inch

Juice Dispensing Machine A beverage company uses a machine to fill half-gallon bottles with fruit juice (see figure). The company wants to estimate the mean volume of water the machine is putting in the bottles within 0.25 fluid ounce.

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a. Determine the minimum sample size required to construct a 95% confidence interval for the population mean. Assume the population standard deviation is 1 fluid ounce.

Constructing a Confidence Interval In Exercises 25–28, use the data set to (c) construct a 99% confidence interval for the population mean. Assume the population is normally distributed.

SAT Scores The SAT scores of 12 randomly selected high school seniors

Constructing a Confidence Interval In Exercises 25–28, use the data set to (c) construct a 99% confidence interval for the population mean. Assume the population is normally distributed.

Homework The weekly time spent (in hours) on homework for 18 randomly selected high school students

Constructing a Confidence Interval In Exercises 31 and 32, use the data set to (a) find the sample mean

[APPLET] Earnings The annual earnings (in dollars) of 32 randomly selected intermediate level life insurance underwriters (Adapted from Salary.com)

Constructing a Confidence Interval In Exercises 31 and 32, use the data set to (b) find the sample standard deviation

[APPLET] Earnings The annual earnings (in dollars) of 32 randomly selected intermediate level life insurance underwriters (Adapted from Salary.com)

During a recent period of one year, the mean percent increase in value on Wednesdays of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin was 7.46%, with a standard deviation of 53.47%. Random samples of size 50 are drawn from this population and the mean of each sample is determined. (Source: Crypto Indicators)

c. What is the probability that the mean percent increase for a given sample is between −10% and 30%?

In Exercises 35–40, use the standard normal distribution or the t-distribution to construct a 95% confidence interval for the population mean. Justify your decision. If neither distribution can be used, explain why. Interpret the results.

In a random sample of 18 months from January 2011 through December 2020, the mean interest rate for 30-year fixed rate home mortgages was 3.95% and the standard deviation was 0.49%. Assume the interest rates are normally distributed. (Source: Freddie Mac)

In Exercises 35–40, use the standard normal distribution or the t-distribution to construct a 95% confidence interval for the population mean. Justify your decision. If neither distribution can be used, explain why. Interpret the results.

The population standard deviation of the weights of the two-year-old males on a pediatrician’s patient list is 2.49 pounds. The mean weight of a sample of 10 of the two–year–old males is 13.68 pounds. Weights are known to be normally distributed.

[APPLET] The waking times (in minutes past 5:00 A.M.) of 40 people who start work at 8:00 A.M. are shown in the table at the left. Assume the population standard deviation is 45 minutes. Find (a) the point estimate of the population mean μ and (b) the margin of error for a 90% confidence interval.

(a) Construct a 90% confidence interval for the population mean in Exercise 1. Interpret the results. (b) Does it seem likely that the population mean could be within 10% of the sample mean? Explain.

In Exercises 5 and 6, use the confidence interval to find the margin of error and the sample mean.

(20.75, 24.10)

In Exercises 5 and 6, use the confidence interval to find the margin of error and the sample mean.

(7.428, 7.562)

Determine the minimum sample size required to be 95% confident that the sample mean waking time is within 10 minutes of the population mean waking time. Use the population standard deviation from Exercise 1.