TUTORIAL 1(Confidence interval, confidence bound and prediction interval about
population mean)
1. UCLA researcher claims that the life span of mice can be extended by as much as 25%
when the calories in their diet are reduced by approximately 40% from the time they are
weaned. The restricted diet is enriched to normal levels by vitamins and protein. Assuming
that it is known from previous studies that σ = 5.8 months, how many mice should be
included in our sample if we wish to be 99% confident that the mean life span of the sample
will be within 2 months of the population mean for all mice subjected to this reduced diet?
2. The average zinc concentration from a sample of measurements taken in 36 different
locations in a river is found to be 2.6 grams per milliliter with a standard deviation is 0.3
grams per milliliter.
(a) Find the 95% confidence intervals for the mean zinc concentration in the river.
(b) Find the 95% upper bound for the mean zinc concentration in the river.
3. The heights of a random sample of 50 college students showed a mean of 174.5 centimeters
and a standard deviation of 6.9 centimeters.
(a) Construct a 98% confidence interval for the mean height of all college students.
(b) What can we assert with 98% confidence about the possible size of our error if we
estimate the mean height of all college students to be 174.5 centimeters?
4. Consider a random sample 2.4; 1.6; 3.8; 4.0; 5.2 and 2.0 from a normal distribution.
Construct a 90% confidence interval for the mean in each of the following cases:
i) The population Variance is 1.44
ii) The population Variance is unknown
5. An efficiency expert wishes to determine the average time that it takes to drill three holes
in a certain metal clamp. How large a sample will she need to be 95% confident that her
sample mean will be within 15 seconds of the true mean? Assume that it is known from
previous studies that σ = 40 seconds.
6. A machine produces metal pieces that are cylindrical in shape. A sample of pieces is taken,
and the diameters are found to be 1.01, 0.97, 1.03, 1.04, 0.99, 0.98, 0.99, 1.01, and 1.03
centimeters. Find a 99% confidence interval for the mean diameter of pieces from this
machine, assuming an approximately normal distribution.
7. The following measurements were recorded for the drying time, in hours, of a certain brand
of latex paint: 3.4; 2.5; 4.8; 2.9; 3.6; 2.8; 3.3; 5.6; 3.7; 2.8; 4.4; 4.0; 5.2; 3.0; 4.8.
If the measurements represent a random sample from a normal population, find a 95%
prediction interval for the drying time for the next trial of the paint.
8. A random sample of 100 automobile owners in the state of Virginia shows that an
automobile is driven on average 23,500 kilometers per year with a standard deviation of
3900 kilometers. Assume the distribution of measurements to be approximately normal,
construct a 99% prediction interval for the kilometers traveled annually by an automobile
owner in Virginia.
9. A random sample of 12 graduates of a certain secretarial school typed an average of 79.3
words per minute with a standard deviation of 7.8 words per minute. Assuming a normal
distribution for the number of words typed per minute; find a 95% prediction interval for
the average number of words typed by all graduates of this school.
10. The following data are diameter measurements from a sample of metal pieces: 1.01, 0.97,
1.03, 1.04, 0.99, 0.98, 1.01, 1.03, 0.99, 1.00, 1.00, 0.99, 0.98, 1.01, 1.02, 0.99 centimeters.
If the sample is drawn from a normal distribution, construct the following intervals and
interpret your results to those of the case study.
(a) Compute a 99% confidence interval on the mean diameter.
(b) Compute a 99% prediction interval on the next diameter to be measured.
(c) Compute a 99% tolerance interval for coverage of the central 95% of the distribution
of diameters.
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11. Consider the quantity MSE E where MSE denotes mean squared error. Show
that MSE can be written
2
ˆ Bias
MSE Var ˆ .
12. Let us define S
2
n X Xˆ
i
. Show
i 1 n
n
n 1
S 2 .
i 1 n
ˆ
13. Consider the quantity MSE E where MSE denotes mean squared error. Show
that MSE can be written
2
ˆ Bias
MSE Var ˆ .