Math 151 , Day 29, Wednesday, April 11, 2001

Comments on Exam
Quiz:
Continuing with CI's (notes last time)
    Questions on HW: computation of CI's
    Why?
    Cautions and assumptions.

Relation of m (margin of error, half width), C (confidence level), and n (sample size),  (and sigma)
    C and z* get bigger and smaller together (bigger C means bigger z*, and vice versa) (standard normal sketch)
m = z* (sigma)/ sqrt(n)
    Want bigger C?  Must accept bigger m.  Trade off confidence vs. accuracy.
    But bigger n will make smaller m.  This makes sense: bigger sample size, more info-->more accurate estimate.
            (square root makes it Expensive: have to quadruple n to make m half as  big)
    So smaller m can be achieved only by
        accepting lower confidence level (smaller C),
        or by increasing sample size (bigger n).

    Sigma:  We can't change it, it comes with the population.  But bigger sigma (more population variability) will give bigger m (wider CI), i.e. less accuracy in prediction (for the same C and n).

Planning ahead:  Choose sample size big enough to satisfy desired: margin of error, confidence level.
    Given C and m (and sigma), find n.
        Method:  Use C to find z*.  Plug in to formula for m, and solve for n.  Or memorize formula for n and plug in to it.
           n = (z* sigma / m)2   Note:  z* sigma still on top.  m and n change places, and whole thing is squared!
            Round up!  If you get n = 5.06, you need a sample of size 6 to get your margin of error as short as you want.
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Sec 6.2: "Significance tests use an elaborate vocabulary, but the basic idea is simple: an outcome that would "rarely" happen if a claim were true--is good evidence that the claim is NOT true." (p.314)



HW:  finishing 6.1 Next:  6.2, Significance Tests.  Read at least to p. 334.  I will ask you next time to tell me  some new words we'll need to understand.    (I have a MISPRINT p. 329, tan box, first formula::  z = x -BAR minus mu-sub-zero (etc.), not z = x minus mu-sub-zero (etc.) as written.)
  Sec.6.1 (problems marked FRI were given on day 28 also) . 
FRI 6.3 density of x-bar, and confidence intervals This problem combines the pictures 6.2 and 6.4 For part d, to draw the confidence interval:  just choose any point on the horizontal axis of  your graph to be x-bar.  Measure off the distance m (half the width of the shaded interval) and extend a bar m wide to the left and the right of your point,below the curve.  (Like fig. 6.4, the bars with arrows at the ends.  The red dots show what the x-bar is for that confidence interval)  Choose another point, and repeat..  If your first x-bar was in the shaded interval, pick your second outside the shaded interval, and vice versa.  You should note that if x-bar is in the shaded interval, then the confidence interval bar covers mu (280) and if x-bar isn't, then the bar doesn't. 
= = = = = = = = = = = = 
FRI 6.5 IQ test scores Read pp. 312-13 before doing this one. 
= = = = = = = = = = = = 
Cautions; general review and extension 
FRI p. 314 6.14 internet, response rate
FRI p.317, 6.19 newts
FRI p. 318, 6.22  men/women CI's
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Hand in Monday:
Sample size for C.I., review 
p. 3.11, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12 
p. 315, 6.16  enlighten the unstatistical
  6.17hotel mgrs. 


Read Sec. 6.2.  Write down on a separate sheet 3 new terms that you will need to understand.
Read, to discuss 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

6.13, 6.15 (cautions) 
6.23 (Carter election)

Optional

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