/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Problem 17 A random sample of 860 births in... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91Ó°ÊÓ

91Ó°ÊÓ

A random sample of 860 births in New York State included 426 boys. Construct a 95\% confidence interval estimate of the proportion of boys in all births. It is believed that among all births, the proportion of boys is \(0.512 .\) Do these sample results provide strong evidence against that belief?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The 95\% confidence interval is (0.462, 0.528). These results do not strongly contradict the belief that the proportion of boys is 0.512.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the Sample Proportion

First, determine the sample proportion of boys in the sample. The sample proportion (\(\hat{p}\)) is calculated by dividing the number of boys by the total number of births. Therefore, \(\hat{p} = \frac{426}{860}\).
02

Calculate \(\hat{p}\)

Simplify the fraction to get the sample proportion: \(\hat{p} = \frac{426}{860} \approx 0.495.\)
03

Find the Standard Error

The standard error (SE) of the sample proportion is calculated using \(SE = \sqrt{\frac{\hat{p}(1-\hat{p})}{n}}\), where \(n\) is the sample size. Therefore, \(SE = \sqrt{\frac{0.495(1-0.495)}{860}} \approx 0.017.\)
04

Determine the Z-value for a 95\textbackslash\textbackslash% Confidence Interval

For a 95\% confidence interval, the critical value \(Z\) is approximately 1.96.
05

Calculate the Margin of Error

The margin of error (ME) is found by multiplying the Z-value by the standard error: \(ME = Z \times SE = 1.96 \times 0.017 \approx 0.033.\)
06

Construct the Confidence Interval

The confidence interval is calculated as \(\hat{p} \pm ME.\) So, the 95\% confidence interval is \(0.495 \pm 0.033\) or \( (0.462, 0.528).\)
07

Interpret the Results

The confidence interval (0.462, 0.528) contains the purported proportion of boys (0.512). Therefore, these sample results do not provide strong evidence against the belief that the proportion of boys is 0.512.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91Ó°ÊÓ!

Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Sample Proportion
The sample proportion of boys in the sample simply means the percentage of all babies born in this sample group who are boys. To find it, we take the number of boys (426) and divide that by the total number of births (860).
This fraction \(\frac{426}{860}\) simplifies to approximately 0.495.
This value is our \(\hat{p}\), which is used in many of our subsequent calculations.
Sample proportions are essential because they help us estimate the population proportion, giving us a sense of what is happening in the entire population (all births in New York State in this case) based on our smaller sample.
Standard Error
Standard error (SE) measures the variability or the precision of the sample proportion. It's a way to see how much the sample proportion (0.495) might deviate from the true population proportion.
We calculate it with the formula: \(SE = \sqrt{\frac{\hat{p}(1-\hat{p})}{n}}\), where \(\hat{p}\) is the sample proportion and \(n\) is the sample size.
Plugging in our numbers gives us \(SE = \sqrt{\frac{0.495(1-0.495)}{860}} \approx 0.017\).
A small SE indicates that our sample proportion is likely very close to the true population proportion.
Margin of Error
The margin of error (ME) reflects the range within which the true population proportion likely falls.
For a 95% confidence interval, the critical value (Z) is approximately 1.96.
We find the margin of error with the formula: \(ME = Z \times SE = 1.96 \times 0.017 \approx 0.033.\)
This value, 0.033, tells us how much our sample proportion might vary from the actual population proportion.
So, if our sample proportion is 0.495, the true population proportion could reasonably be between 0.462 and 0.528.
Proportion Hypothesis Testing
Proportion hypothesis testing helps determine if our sample result provides strong evidence against a stated belief (null hypothesis).
The initial belief here is that the proportion of boys among all births is 0.512.
We compare this hypothesis to our sample result using our confidence interval of (0.462, 0.528).
Because 0.512 falls within our confidence interval, we do not have sufficient evidence to reject the belief.
This step is crucial because it uses statistical methods to determine the credibility of claims based on sample data.
Statistical Inference
Statistical inference allows us to make conclusions about a population based on sample data.
By calculating the sample proportion, standard error, margin of error, and confidence intervals, we infer characteristics of the entire population.
For our data, we infer that the proportion of boys in all births likely falls between 0.462 and 0.528 with 95% confidence.
This process transforms our specific sample findings into general understanding, giving decisions and predictions a scientific basis.
With these inferences, policymakers and healthcare professionals can better understand birth ratios and plan accordingly.

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

12\. Garlic for Reducing Cholesterol In a test of the effectiveness of garlic for lowering cholesterol, 49 subjects were treated with raw garlic. Cholesterol levels were measured before and after the treatment. The changes (before minus after) in their levels of LDL cholesterol (in \(\mathrm{mg} / \mathrm{dL}\) ) had a mean of \(0.4\) and a standard deviation of \(21.0\) (based on data from "Effect of Raw Garlic vs Commercial Garlic Supplements on Plasma Lipid Concentrations in Adults with Moderate Hypercholesterolemia," by Gardner et al., Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 167). Construct a \(98 \%\) confidence interval estimate of the standard deviation of the changes in LDL cholesterol after the garlic treatment. Does the result indicate whether the treatment is effective?

Here is a random sample of taxi-out times (min) for American Airlines flights leaving JFK airport: \(12,19,13,43,15\). For this sample, what is a bootstrap sample?

A study of 420,095 Danish cell phone users found that \(0.0321 \%\) of them developed cancer of the brain or nervous system. Prior to this study of cell phone use, the rate of such cancer was found to be \(0.0340 \%\) for those not using cell phones. The data are from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. a. Use the sample data to construct a \(90 \%\) confidence interval estimate of the percentage of cell phone users who develop cancer of the brain or nervous system. b. Do cell phone users appear to have a rate of cancer of the brain or nervous system that is different from the rate of such cancer among those not using cell phones? Why or why not?

Data Set 3 "Body Temperatures" in Appendix B includes a sample of 106 body temperatures having a mean of \(98.20^{\circ} \mathrm{F}\) and a standard deviation of \(0.62^{\circ} \mathrm{F}\) (for day 2 at \(12 \mathrm{AM}\) ). Construct a \(95 \%\) confidence interval estimate of the standard deviation of the body temperatures for the entire population.

When she was 9 years of age, Emily Rosa did a science fair experiment in which she tested professional touch therapists to see if they could sense her energy field. She flipped a coin to select either her right hand or her left hand, and then she asked the therapists to identify the selected hand by placing their hand just under Emily's hand without seeing it and without touching it. Among 280 trials, the touch therapists were correct 123 times (based on data in "A Close Look at Therapeutic Touch," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 279, No. 13 ). a. Given that Emily used a coin toss to select either her right hand or her left hand, what proportion of correct responses would be expected if the touch therapists made random guesses? b. Using Emily's sample results, what is the best point estimate of the therapists' success rate? c. Using Emily's sample results, construct a \(99 \%\) confidence interval estimate of the proportion of correct responses made by touch therapists. d. What do the results suggest about the ability of touch therapists to select the correct hand by sensing an energy field?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Math Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.