8.2 A Single Population Mean Using the Student's t-Distribution

Suppose you do a study of acupuncture to determine how effective it is in relieving pain. You measure sensory rates for 15 subjects with the results given. Use the sample data to construct a 95 percent confidence interval for the mean sensory rate for the population (assumed normal) from which you took the data.
The solution is shown step-by-step and by using the TI-83, 83+, or 84+ calculators.

You do a study of hypnotherapy to determine how effective it is in increasing the number of hours of sleep subjects get each night. You measure hours of sleep for 12 subjects with the following results. Construct a 95 percent confidence interval for the mean number of hours slept for the population (assumed normal) from which you took the data.

8.2, 9.1, 7.7, 8.6, 6.9, 11.2, 10.1, 9.9, 8.9, 9.2, 7…

A group of researchers is working to understand the scope of industrial pollution in the human body. Industrial chemicals may enter the body through pollution or as ingredients in consumer products. In October 2008, the scientists tested cord-blood samples for 20 newborn infants in the United States. The cord blood of the in utero/newborn group was tested for 430 industrial compounds, pollutants,…

A random sample of statistics students was asked to estimate the total number of hours they spend watching television in an average week. The responses are recorded in the table. Use the following sample data to construct a 98 percent confidence interval for the mean number of hours statistics students will spend watching television in one week.

Use the following information to answer the next five exercises: A hospital is trying to cut down on emergency room wait times. It is interested in the amount of time patients must wait before being called back to be examined. An investigation committee randomly surveyed 70 patients. The sample mean was 1.5 hr, with a sample standard deviation of 0.5 hr.

Define the random variables X and $\bar{X}$ in word…

Use the following information to answer the next six exercises: One hundred eight Americans were surveyed to determine the number of hours they spend watching television each month. It was revealed that they watch an average of 151 hours each month, with a standard deviation of 32 hours. Assume that the underlying population distribution is normal.

Identify the following:

1. $\bar{x}$ =_______
2. $s_{x}$ =_______
3. n =…

Use the following information to answer the next six exercises: One hundred eight Americans were surveyed to determine the number of hours they spend watching television each month. It was revealed that they watch an average of 151 hours each month, with a standard deviation of 32 hours. Assume that the underlying population distribution is normal.

Define the random variable $\bar{X}$ in words.

Calculate the following:

1. $\bar{x}$ =______
2. $s_{x}$ =______
3. n =______

What is $\bar{x}$ estimating?

As a result of your answer to the exercise, state the exact distribution to use when calculating the confidence interval.

Construct a 95 percent confidence interval for the true mean number of colors on national flags.

How much area is in each tail?

Construct a 95 percent confidence interval for the true mean number of colors on national flags.

The 95 percent confidence interval is_____.

Construct a 95 percent confidence interval for the true mean number of colors on national flags.

In one complete sentence, explain what the interval means.

Construct a 95 percent confidence interval for the true mean number of colors on national flags.

Using the same $\bar{x}$, $s_{x}$, and level of confidence, suppose that n were 69 instead of 39. Would the error bound become larger or smaller? How do you know?

A pharmaceutical company makes a drug used during surgery. It is assumed that the distribution for the length of time the drug lasts is approximately normal. Researchers in a hospital used the drug on a random sample of nine patients. The effective period of the antibiotic drug for each patient (in hours) was as follows: 2.7, 2.8, 3.0, 2.3, 2.3, 2.2, 2.8, 2.1, and 2.4.

1. 1. $\bar{x}$ = __________
   2. $s_{x}$ = ________…

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) collects information about campaign contributions and disbursements for candidates and political committees during each election cycle. A political action committee (PAC) is a committee formed to raise money for candidates and campaigns. A Leadership PAC is a PAC formed by a federal politician (senator or representative) to raise money to help other candidates…

Unoccupied seats on flights cause airlines to lose revenue. Suppose a large airline wants to estimate its mean number of unoccupied seats per flight over the past year. To accomplish this, the records of 225 flights are randomly selected, and the number of unoccupied seats is noted for each of the sampled flights. The sample mean is 11.6 seats, and the sample standard deviation is 4.1 seats.

1. 1. $\bar{x}$ =…

Use the following information to answer the next two exercises: A quality control specialist for a restaurant chain takes a random sample of size 12 to check the amount of soda served in the 16-oz serving size. The sample mean is 13.30, with a sample standard deviation of 1.55. Assume the underlying population is normally distributed.

Find the 95 percent confidence interval for the true population…