Math 151 , Day 30, Friday, April 12, 2002Hit reload to get current versionAfter Class

Additions to Birkenstock box results:  2 "60% CI's" captured, 2 didn't:  total (51+2)/(85+2) = 61%
HW questions?
Closed book quiz Monday:  1)  Give a definition of a level C Confidence Interval for a parameter.
2) a) Write down the formula for a level C confidence interval for the unknown mean of a normal population.
       (Assume the standard deviation of the population is known.)
    b) Tell or show with a picture how "C" connects with your formula.
Confidence interval estimate of a(n unknown) population parameter: Confidence Interval of the form  estimate + margin-of-error  for the mean with Confidence level C: (p.306)
Formula: (Table A, or Table C, t dist. bottom row) Why does the formula work?
  1. If a particular xbar is within m of the population mean, then the interval xbar + m contains the population mean.

  2. & If a particular xbar is farther than m from the population mean, then the interval xbar + m doesn't contain the population mean.
  3. We choose z* (and from it m) so that the probability that Xbar is within m of the population mean    is C.

  4. How? Probability C is between -z* and +z* in the standard normal table,
        between -z* ·(s.d. of Xbar) and +z* ·(s.d. of Xbar) around µ,  in the normal distribution of Xbar.
  5. Table C, bottom row, is a restating of  table A, normal table, but with probabilities (areas) on the edge, and z values in the body.  To get the z* for C = 60% from the normal table, note that this is the middle 60%, which leaves 40% to be split between the 2 tails.  So 20% above z*,  and 80% below.  Go into the body of table A, find .8000 is between values .7995 and .8023, closer to .7995.  The z value with .7995 below it is .84.  Table C gives it more precisely as  .841.
Assumptions: pp. 312-13
SRS--other random samples get other formulas.  Nonrandom or biased  samples can't use C.I.
    Sometimes we can plausibly think of data as SRS from large population (rolling dice, repeated weighings on scale)
Xbar is normal!  OK IF 1) population is normal, or 2) n big enough for Central Limit theorem.
    Outliers?  Trouble (xbar is sensitive).   Slight outliers ok (see next)
    Skewness?  n> 15 allows CLTh to overcome all but strong skewness.
Sigma for population is known.  Rarely true in practice.  Large n?  substitute s calculated from sample. Small n--Ch. 7.

We'll start here Monday
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).
Science colloquium last Wednesday:  Experiments on chickens bred to be "identical"--very low variability from one to the other.  Therefore very small samples suffice.

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 at least 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)



PreClass assignment Day 30 for  Day 31
Activstats: Same as given on Day 29--work on Confidence Interval stuff, then 
Significance Tests, either Activstats or Moore.  Moore--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.  If your book is newer, this may be fixed.)
HW Day30  Read (& reread) Sec. 6.1, read ahead, Sec. 6.2
Memorize the definition of a C.I. p. 302, esp. the "repeated samples" bit, or above,
                 and the formula p.306 for a CI for the mean, including the picture explaining C<-->z*.
    Closed Book Quiz Monday, see top of page
Note on reading:  p. 306, table at top:  "Tail area" is area in One tail, which is what you look up in the Normal table.
Cautions; general review and extension 
 p. 314 6.14 internet, response rate
 p.317, 6.19 newts
p. 318, 6.22  men/women CI's
 p.316, 6.18  consumers/pharmacies
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With Monday's HW
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, to discuss

6.13, 6.15 (cautions) 
6.23 (Carter election)
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Optional

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