CONFIDENCE INTERVALS

APPLICATION FOR n<30

MATH 154-1
MODULE 1

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

A college dean wishes to estimate the average number of
hours students spend doing homework per week. The
standard deviation from a previous study is 4.5 hours.
How large a sample must be selected if he wants to be
95% confident of finding whether the true mean differs
from the sample mean by 2.1 hours?

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

GIVEN:
𝜎 = 4.5 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠
E=2.1hours
At 95% Confidence Interval, 𝑧𝛼 = 1.960 (from t-table)
2
REQUIRED:
n
𝑧𝛼 ∙ 𝜎 2 2
2 1.960 4.5
𝑛= = = 17.64 ≈ 18
𝐸 2.1

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

Therefore, there are 18 students selected by the dean in
order to estimate the the average number of hours
spend in doing homework per week.

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

A recent study of 19 students of CEU showed that the
mean of the distance they travelled to go to school was
10.2 km. the standard deviation of the sample was
2.3km. Find the 99% confidence of the true mean.

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

GIVEN:
𝑋 = 10.2 𝑘𝑚, 𝜎 = 2.3 𝑘𝑚
At 99% CI, and n-1= 19-1 =18, 𝑡𝛼 = 2.87844 (from t-table)
2
𝜎 𝜎
𝑋 − 𝑡𝛼 < 𝜇 < 𝑋 + 𝑡𝛼
2 𝑛 2 𝑛
2.3 2.3
10.2 − 2.878 < 𝜇 < 10.2 + 2.878
19 19
8.681 < 𝜇 < 11.719

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

Therefore , the distance travelled by 19 students of CEU
to go to school ranges from 8. 68 to 11.72 km at 99 %
confidence interval.

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

A random of families in a particular street resulted in
the following family sizes: 5,6,7,4,3,8,2 and 9, find the
95% confidence interval of the mean.

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

Create a tabular solution
x 𝒙𝟐
Find the Mean
𝒙
2 4 𝒙= 𝒏
3 9 𝟒𝟓
𝒙= 𝟖
4 16 𝒙 = 𝟓. 𝟔𝟐𝟓
5 25 Find the Standard Deviation
6 36 𝟐
𝒏( 𝒙𝟐 ) − ( 𝒙)
7 49 𝒔=
8 64
𝒏(𝒏 − 𝟏)
9 81 𝟖 𝟐𝟖𝟒 − 𝟒𝟓 𝟐
𝒔=
= 45 = 284 𝟖(𝟖 − 𝟏)
s=2.1

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

𝑋 = 5.625 , 𝜎 = 2.1
At 95% CI, and n-1= 8-1 =7, 𝑡𝛼 = 2.365 (from t-table)
2
𝜎 𝜎
𝑋 − 𝑡𝛼 < 𝜇 < 𝑋 + 𝑡𝛼
2 𝑛 2 𝑛
2.1 2.1
5.625 − 2.365 < 𝜇 < 5.625 + 2.365
7 7
3.75 < 𝜇 < 7.5
4 < 𝜇 <8

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics

Therefore, the size of families in a particular street at
95% confidence interval ranges from 4 to 8.

Mapua University – Department of Mathematics