Q233 · Practice questionTechnology-freeSimple familiar5 marks
QUESTION 233 (5 marks)
A sample of 100 independent measurements has mean 20. A 95% mean confidence interval, using , is (19.216,20.784).
a)[2 marks]
Determine the sample standard deviation s.
b)[3 marks]
For a new sample of size 400 with the same observed mean and standard deviation, find the interval and explain its width change.
WORKED SOLUTION
5 marksPractice marking scheme
ANSWER
(a) . (b) ; width halved.
Worked solution
(a) The margin is 0.784. Solve to obtain s=4.
(b) New standard error is 4/20=0.2, giving margin 0.392 and interval 20 plus or minus 0.392. Quadrupling n doubles its square root and halves width. This is conditional on the stated sample summaries; real future summaries may differ.
Equivalent mathematically justified methods accepted.
Exact answers unless a decimal accuracy is specified.
Part a: Find the margin.
Part a: Solve for s.
Part b: Find new standard error.
Part b: Give both endpoints.
Part b: Explain inverse-square-root scaling.
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