/*! 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 1 A random sample of 110 lightning... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91Ó°ÊÓ

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A random sample of 110 lightning flashes in a region resulted in a sample average radar echo duration of 81 s and a sample standard deviation of \(.34\) s ("Lightning Strikes to an Airplane in a Thunderstorm," J. Aircraft, 1984: 607-611). Calculate a \(99 \%\) (two-sided) confidence interval for the true average echo duration \(\mu\), and interpret the resulting interval.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The 99% confidence interval for the true average echo duration is (80.9165, 81.0835) seconds.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the Known Variables

We are given a sample size \( n = 110 \), a sample mean \( \bar{x} = 81 \) s, and a sample standard deviation \( s = 0.34 \) s. We need to calculate a 99% confidence interval for the population mean \( \mu \).
02

Determine the Critical Value

Since the sample size is large (\( n \geq 30 \)), we can use the z-distribution. For a 99% confidence interval, the critical value \( z^* \) is 2.576, as obtained from a standard normal distribution table.
03

Calculate the Standard Error

The standard error (SE) of the sample mean is calculated using the formula: \[ SE = \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}} = \frac{0.34}{\sqrt{110}} \approx 0.0324.\]
04

Calculate the Margin of Error

The margin of error (ME) can be calculated using the formula: \[ ME = z^* \times SE = 2.576 \times 0.0324 \approx 0.0835.\]
05

Compute the Confidence Interval

The confidence interval is given by \[ \bar{x} \pm ME = 81 \pm 0.0835.\]Thus, the confidence interval is approximately \( (80.9165, 81.0835) \).
06

Interpret the Confidence Interval

This means we are 99% confident that the true average radar echo duration for all lightning flashes in this region lies between approximately 80.9165 seconds and 81.0835 seconds.

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Key Concepts

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

Sample Mean
The sample mean, often denoted as \( \bar{x} \), represents the average of a set of data points collected from a sample. In our exercise, the sample mean is calculated as 81 seconds, which means that the average radar echo duration from the sample of 110 lightning flashes is 81 seconds. It is a crucial step because it helps us make inferences about the population mean, \( \mu \), based on the sample data.
To find the sample mean, you add up all the observed values (in this case, radar echo durations) and divide by the total number of observations, here 110. It's your starting point in constructing a confidence interval.
The more representative your sample is of the population, the more reliable your sample mean will be.
Standard Error
Standard error (SE) quantifies the amount of variation or dispersion of the sample mean from the true population mean. It gives insight into how accurately your sample mean predicts the population mean.
The formula to calculate the standard error is \( SE = \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}} \), where \( s \) is the sample standard deviation and \( n \) is the sample size. For our lightning flash data, the standard error is approximately 0.0324 seconds.
This small SE suggests that the sample mean is a reliable estimator of the population mean.
  • Larger sample sizes tend to decrease the SE, leading to more precise estimates of the population mean.
  • Smaller SE indicates greater precision in estimating the population mean from the sample mean.
Margin of Error
The margin of error (ME) is an expression of the range within which the true population mean is expected to fall in relation to your sample data, with a certain level of confidence (e.g., 99%). It measures how far off your sample mean might be from the true population mean, allowing us to create a confidence interval.
The formula is \( ME = z^* \times SE \), where \( z^* \) is the critical value corresponding to the desired confidence level. In this exercise, the margin of error is approximately 0.0835 seconds. This means that the true average radar echo duration is expected to differ from the sample mean by no more than this amount.
The margin of error helps communicate the potential error in the sample mean estimate, due to sampling variability.
Critical Value
The critical value, typically found using statistical tables, corresponds to the desired level of confidence (like 99%) and helps determine the range for the confidence interval. In a normally distributed population, this value specifies the number of standard deviations you should go above and below the sample mean to capture the middle portion of the distribution.
Using the z-distribution because our sample size exceeds 30, we got a critical value of 2.576 for a 99% confidence interval. This value signifies the distance from the sample mean in which the true mean is likely to fall.
  • You choose the critical value based on your confidence level; a higher confidence level (e.g., 99%) requires a larger critical value.
  • The critical value ensures that the margin of error is appropriately adjusted to encapsulate the desired range on either side of the sample mean.
This value, represented using the z-score in this exercise, plays a pivotal role in determining the span of your confidence interval.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Aphid infestation of fruit trees can be controlled either by spraying with pesticide or by inundation with ladybugs. In a particular area, four different groves of fruit trees are selected for experimentation. The first three groves are sprayed with pesticides 1,2 , and 3 , respectively, and the fourth is treated with ladybugs, with the following results on yield: \begin{tabular}{llll} \hline Treatment & \multicolumn{1}{l}{\(n_{i}\) (number of } & \({\bar{x}_{i}}\) (bushels/ \\ & trees) & tree) & \\ \hline 1 & 100 & \(10.5\) & \(1.5\) \\ 2 & 90 & \(10.0\) & \(1.3\) \\ 3 & 100 & \(10.1\) & \(1.8\) \\ 4 & 120 & \(10.7\) & \(1.6\) \\ \hline \end{tabular} Let \(\mu_{i}=\) the true average yield (bushels/tree) after receiving the \(i\) th treatment. Then $$ \theta=\frac{1}{3}\left(\mu_{1}+\mu_{2}+\mu_{3}\right)-\mu_{4} $$ measures the difference in true average yields between treatment with pesticides and treatment with ladybugs. When \(n_{1}, n_{2}, n_{3}\), and \(n_{4}\) are all large, the estimator \(\hat{\theta}\) obtained by replacing each \(\mu_{i}\) by \(\bar{X}_{i}\) is approximately normal. Use this to derive a large-sample \(100(1-\alpha) \%\) CI for \(\theta\), and compute the \(95 \%\) interval for the given data.

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