Math Problem Statement

what is the confidence interval

What is the confidence interval for the mean IQ score given a sample mean of 105.1, population standard deviation of 10, sample size of 73, and a 90% confidence level?

Solution

To compute the 90% confidence interval for the mean IQ score, we need the following information from the problem:

  • Sample mean (xˉ\bar{x}) = 105.1
  • Population standard deviation (σ\sigma) = 10
  • Sample size (nn) = 73
  • Critical value for 90% confidence (from the Z-distribution table) = 1.645 (already provided)

Formula for the confidence interval:

CI=xˉ±Zα/2×σnCI = \bar{x} \pm Z_{\alpha/2} \times \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}} Where:

  • xˉ\bar{x} = sample mean
  • Zα/2Z_{\alpha/2} = critical value
  • σ\sigma = population standard deviation
  • nn = sample size

Step 1: Calculate the margin of error (MOE):

MOE=Zα/2×σn=1.645×1073MOE = Z_{\alpha/2} \times \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}} = 1.645 \times \frac{10}{\sqrt{73}} MOE1.645×1.169=1.922MOE \approx 1.645 \times 1.169 = 1.922

Step 2: Compute the confidence interval:

CI=105.1±1.922CI = 105.1 \pm 1.922 This gives the confidence interval: CI(103.18,107.02)CI \approx (103.18, 107.02)

Thus, the 90% confidence interval for the mean IQ score is approximately (103.18,107.02)(103.18, 107.02).

Would you like further details or have any questions? Here are a few questions that might help expand on this:

  1. How would the confidence interval change if the confidence level were 95%?
  2. How does the sample size affect the width of the confidence interval?
  3. Why is the population standard deviation used instead of the sample standard deviation?
  4. What would happen if the sample size was much smaller, like 30?
  5. How is the critical value determined for different confidence levels?

Tip: The margin of error shrinks as the sample size increases, making the confidence interval narrower.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Statistics
Confidence Interval
Normal Distribution

Formulas

CI = x̄ ± Zα/2 * (σ / √n)

Theorems

Central Limit Theorem
Z-distribution

Suitable Grade Level

College Level Statistics