Math Problem Statement

  1. A marketing team wants to estimate the average customer satisfaction score for a new product. A random sample of 20 customers is selected, and their satisfaction scores (on an increasing satisfaction scale of 1 to 10) are recorded as follows: 8, 7, 9, 6, 8, 7, 6, 9, 10, 8, 7, 6, 9, 8, 7, 8, 9, 6, 8, 7 Assuming the satisfaction scores are normally distributed, calculate the 90% confidence interval for the average customer satisfaction score for the new product. Please show all the necessary following steps and provide your answer with the appropriate interpretation. a) Calculate the sample mean and sample standard deviation. [5 marks]

b) Determine the critical value (t-value) for a 90% confidence level

Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

a) Calculate the sample mean and sample standard deviation.

  1. Sample Mean (xˉ\bar{x}): The sample mean is calculated by summing all the data points and dividing by the number of data points.

    xˉ=1ni=1nxi\bar{x} = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i

    Here, the data points are: 8,7,9,6,8,7,6,9,10,8,7,6,9,8,7,8,9,6,8,78, 7, 9, 6, 8, 7, 6, 9, 10, 8, 7, 6, 9, 8, 7, 8, 9, 6, 8, 7

    Number of data points n=20n = 20.

    xˉ=8+7+9+6+8+7+6+9+10+8+7+6+9+8+7+8+9+6+8+720\bar{x} = \frac{8 + 7 + 9 + 6 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 9 + 10 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 6 + 8 + 7}{20}

    xˉ=14720=7.35\bar{x} = \frac{147}{20} = 7.35

    So, the sample mean xˉ\bar{x} is 7.35.

  2. Sample Standard Deviation (ss): The sample standard deviation is calculated using the formula:

    s=1n1i=1n(xixˉ)2s = \sqrt{\frac{1}{n-1} \sum_{i=1}^{n} (x_i - \bar{x})^2}

    First, calculate each (xixˉ)2(x_i - \bar{x})^2, then sum these, divide by n1n-1, and finally take the square root.

    s=(87.35)2+(77.35)2++(77.35)219s = \sqrt{\frac{(8-7.35)^2 + (7-7.35)^2 + \cdots + (7-7.35)^2}{19}}

    Let's calculate it step by step:

    • (87.35)2=0.4225(8 - 7.35)^2 = 0.4225
    • (77.35)2=0.1225(7 - 7.35)^2 = 0.1225
    • (97.35)2=2.7225(9 - 7.35)^2 = 2.7225
    • (67.35)2=1.8225(6 - 7.35)^2 = 1.8225
    • (continue for all 20 data points)\text{(continue for all 20 data points)}

    Sum of these squared differences = 22.65

    s=22.65191.19211.0923s = \sqrt{\frac{22.65}{19}} \approx \sqrt{1.1921} \approx 1.0923

    So, the sample standard deviation ss is approximately 1.092.

b) Determine the critical value (tt-value) for a 90% confidence level.

To find the critical tt-value for a 90% confidence interval with n1=19n-1 = 19 degrees of freedom, we use the tt-distribution table.

  • Degrees of freedom (dfdf) = 19
  • Confidence level = 90%
  • tα/2t_{\alpha/2} corresponds to 5% in each tail (since 90% confidence level leaves 5% in each tail).

Using a tt-distribution table or calculator:

t0.05,191.729t_{0.05, 19} \approx 1.729

So, the critical tt-value is 1.729.

Summary:

  • Sample Mean (xˉ\bar{x}): 7.35
  • Sample Standard Deviation (ss): 1.092
  • Critical tt-value: 1.729

Next Steps

To calculate the 90% confidence interval for the population mean, use the formula:

CI=xˉ±tα/2sn\text{CI} = \bar{x} \pm t_{\alpha/2} \cdot \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}}

Would you like to continue with the calculation of the confidence interval or have any questions so far?

Relative Questions:

  1. How does the sample size affect the width of the confidence interval?
  2. What would be the confidence interval if the sample size was increased to 30?
  3. How would the confidence interval change if we used a 95% confidence level instead of 90%?
  4. Why is the tt-distribution used instead of the normal distribution in this case?
  5. What assumptions must be met for this confidence interval to be valid?

Tip: When working with confidence intervals, always check if the conditions for using the tt-distribution are satisfied, such as having a normally distributed sample when nn is small.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Statistics
Confidence Intervals
T-Distribution

Formulas

Sample Mean
Sample Standard Deviation
T-Distribution for Confidence Intervals

Theorems

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Suitable Grade Level

Advanced Undergraduate