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Briefly explain how the width of a confidence interval decreases with a decrease in the confidence level. Give an example.

Short Answer

Expert verified
As confidence level decreases, the corresponding confidence interval narrows. This is because a lower confidence level suggests that there's less need to account for uncertainty. For example, a 95% confidence interval for a population mean might be \(120 ± 6\), but if we lower the confidence to 90%, our confidence interval might narrow to \(120 ± 5\).

Step by step solution

01

Understand Confidence Intervals and Levels

A confidence interval provides an estimated range of values between which an unknown population parameter is likely to lie. The confidence level represents the frequency (in percentage) that the confidence interval contains the true parameter in repeated samples.
02

Understand the Relationship between Confidence Level and Interval Width

A higher confidence level indicates a larger interval as it accommodates more uncertainty about where the population parameter lies. Lowering the confidence level reduces the interval width because there is less need to account for uncertainty. Essentially, less confidence is being expressed that the interval contains the population parameter.
03

Provide an Example

Take a random sample of size \(n= 30\) from a population with standard deviation \(σ = 15\). A 95% confidence interval for the population mean might be \(120 ± 6\). If we decrease the confidence level to 90%, our confidence interval might narrow to \(120 ± 5\). In both instances the same mean is used, but the range of values that we are 90% confident the actual value lies within is smaller.

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