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In a Gallup poll conducted December \(2-4,2000,42 \%\) of survey respondents said that, if they only had one child, they would prefer the child to be a boy. Suppose you conduct a survey of 150 randomly selected students on your campus and find that 80 of them would prefer a boy. (a) Approximate the probability that, in a random sample of 150 students, at least 80 would prefer a boy, assuming the true percentage is \(42 \%\) (b) Does this result contradict the Gallup poll? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The probability of at least 80 out of 150 preferring a boy is 0.22%. This significantly contradicts the Gallup poll result of 42%.

Step by step solution

01

Define the Problem

We are given that 42% of survey respondents prefer a boy. We are to approximate the probability that at least 80 out of 150 randomly selected students prefer a boy.
02

Define the Population Proportion and Sample Size

Let the population proportion be denoted as \( p = 0.42 \). The sample size \( n \) is 150, and the sample proportion \( \hat{p} \) is calculated from the sample data: \hat{p} = \frac{80}{150}.
03

Calculate the Sample Proportion

Calculate the sample proportion:\[ \hat{p} = \frac{80}{150} = 0.5333 \]
04

Check Normality Assumption

Check if the sample size is large enough to assume normality using the formulas \( np \geq 10 \) and \( n(1-p) \geq 10 \):\[ np = 150 \cdot 0.42 = 63 \geq 10 \]\[ n(1-p) = 150 \cdot 0.58 = 87 \geq 10 \]Since both conditions are satisfied, we can use the normal approximation.
05

Calculate the Standard Error

The standard error (SE) of the sample proportion is given by:\[ SE = \sqrt{\frac{p(1-p)}{n}} = \sqrt{\frac{0.42 \cdot 0.58}{150}} \approx 0.0398 \]
06

Calculate the Z-Score

We need to find the Z-score for the sample proportion \hat{p} = 0.5333\ using \( p = 0.42 \) and SE calculated:\[ Z = \frac{\hat{p} - p}{SE} = \frac{0.5333 - 0.42}{0.0398} \approx 2.85 \]
07

Find the Probability

Using the Z-score of 2.85, find the probability from the Z-table or using a calculator. The area to the left of Z = 2.85 is approximately 0.9978. Therefore, the probability of at least 80 students preferring a boy is:\[ P(Z > 2.85) = 1 - P(Z < 2.85) = 1 - 0.9978 = 0.0022 \]
08

Result Interpretation

The probability calculated in Step 7 (0.0022) indicates that there is a very low probability (0.22%) that at least 80 out of 150 students would prefer a boy if the true percentage is 42%.
09

Conclusion about the Gallup Poll

Given the low probability (0.22%), it suggests that the survey result (80 out of 150) significantly contradicts the Gallup poll result that 42% would prefer a boy.

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Key Concepts

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

population proportion
In probability and statistics, the **population proportion** refers to the percentage of a population that possesses a certain characteristic. For example, if 42% of a population prefers a boy, then the population proportion, denoted by \( p \), is 0.42. When conducting a survey, the population proportion is used to make inferences about the entire population. This helps us understand what portion of the population has a particular attribute, based on data from a specific sample.
Here, the Gallup poll had a population proportion of 42%, which carries over to our exercise.
normal approximation
The **normal approximation** is a technique used in statistics for approximation of a binomial distribution to a normal distribution. This is particularly useful when dealing with large sample sizes, as it allows for simpler calculations.
To use normal approximation, certain conditions must be met. We generally check:
  • \( np \geq 10 \)
  • \( n(1-p) \geq 10 \)

If these conditions are satisfied, the binomial distribution can be approximately represented by a normal distribution, making it easier to compute probabilities.
Z-score
The **Z-score** is a measure of how many standard deviations an element is from the mean. It allows for comparison between different sets of data, standardizing results.
The formula for calculating the Z-score of a sample proportion \( \hat{p} \) when the population proportion \( p \) and standard error \( SE \) are known is given by:
\[ Z = \frac{\hat{p} - p}{SE} \]
The Z-score is then used to find probabilities associated with standard normal distributions. For example, a Z-score of 2.85 means the sample proportion is 2.85 standard deviations above the population proportion.
standard error
The **standard error** (SE) measures the accuracy with which a sample proportion represents the population proportion. It is essentially the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of a statistic.
For a sample proportion, the standard error can be calculated using the formula:
\[ SE = \sqrt{\frac{p(1-p)}{n}} \]
This formula accounts for the variability in the sample proportion around the population proportion. Smaller SE values indicate a more precise estimate of the population proportion from the sample data.

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