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Calculating the Standard Error of

the Sampling Distribution of a
Sample Mean

Support
 High School Statistics Skills Practice

Instructors: Kathryn Boddie

Example Solutions Practice Questions

How to Calculate the Standard Error

of the Sampling Distribution of a
Sample Mean
Step 1: Identify the standard deviation of the
population, σ, and the sample size, N .

Step 2: Calculate the standard error of the

sampling distribution of a sample mean by dividing
the population standard deviation by the square
σ
root of the sample size. σX̄ =
√N

What is the Standard Error of the

Sampling Distribution of a Sample
Mean?
Standard Error: The standard error of the
sampling distribution of a sample mean is an
estimate of how far the mean of the sampling
distribution of a sample mean is from the
population mean. The standard error is equal to
the standard deviation of the population divided
by the sample size.

We will use these steps, de"nitions, and formulas

to calculate the standard error of the sampling
distribution of a sample mean in the following two
examples.

Examples for Calculating the

Standard Error of the Sampling
Distribution of a Sample Mean

Example 1
The mean height of all adults in a particular
country is 163 cm with a standard deviation of 2.5
cm. Calculate the standard error of the sampling
distribution of a sample mean if the sample size is
40. Round to three decimal places.

Step 1: Identify the standard deviation of the

population, σ, and the sample size, N .

The problem states that standard deviation of the

population is σ = 2.5 cm, and the sample size is
N = 40.
Step 2: Calculate the standard error of the
sampling distribution of a sample mean by dividing
the population standard deviation by the square
σ
root of the sample size. σX̄ =
√N
Using the formula for the standard error of the
sampling distribution of a sample mean with the
information identi"ed in step 1, we have:
σ
σX̄ =
√N

2.5 cm
=
√40

≈ 0.395 cm
The standard error is approximately 0.395 cm.

Example 2
The mean weekly grocery bill for a household in a
certain large city is $175.30 with a standard
deviation of $6.17. What is the standard error of
the sampling distribution of a sample mean if the
sample size is 100? Round to the nearest cent.

Step 1: Identify the standard deviation of the

population, σ, and the sample size, N .

We have:

σ = $6.17
N = 100
Step 2: Calculate the standard error of the
sampling distribution of a sample mean by dividing
the population standard deviation by the square
σ
root of the sample size. σX̄ =
√N
Using the formula for the standard error of the
sampling distribution of a sample mean, we have:
σ
σX̄ =
√N

$6.17
=
√100

≈ $0.62
The standard error is approximately $0.62.

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