PROBLEM SET
ENGINEERING DATA ANALYSIS
1. A sample of the reading scores of 35 fifth graders have a mean of 82. The standard deviation of the population is
15. a. Find the best point estimate of the mean. b. Find the 95% confidence interval of the mean reading scores of
all fifth graders. c. Find the 99% confidence interval of the mean reading scores of all fifth graders.
2. A recent study showed that the modern working person experiences an average of 2.1 hours per day of
distractions (phone calls, e-mails, impromptu visits, etc.). A random sample of 50 workers for a large corporation
found that these workers were distracted an average of 1.8 hours per day and the population standard deviation
was 20 minutes. Estimate the true mean population distraction time with 90% confidence and compare your
answer to the results of the study.
3. A study of 35 golfers showed that their average score on a particular course was 92. The standard deviation of the
population is 5. a. Find the best point estimate of the mean. b. Find the 95% confidence interval of the mean score
for all golfers. c. Find the 95% confidence interval of the mean score if a sample of 60 golfers is used instead of a
sample of 35.
4. A survey of 35 individuals who passed the seven exams and obtained the rank of Fellow in the actuarial field finds
the average salary to be $150,000. If the standard deviation for the population is $15,000, construct a 95%
confidence interval for all Fellows.
5. A survey of 30 adults found that the mean age of a person’s primary vehicle is 5.6 years. Assuming the standard
deviation of the population is 0.8 year, find the best point estimate of the population mean and the 99% confidence
interval of the population mean.
6. A random sample of 50 four-year-olds attending day care centers provided a yearly tuition average of $3987 and
the population standard deviation of $630. Find the 90% confidence interval of the true mean.
7. Ten randomly selected people were asked how long they slept at night. The mean time was 7.1 hours, and the
standard deviation was 0.78 hour. Find the 95% confidence interval of the mean time. Assume the variable is
normally distributed.
8. The data represent a sample of the number of home fires started by candles for the past several years. (Data are
from the National Fire Protection Association.) Find the 99% confidence interval for the mean number of home
fires started by candles each year. 5460 5900 6090 6310 7160 8440 9930
9. A sample of six college wrestlers had an average weight of 276 pounds with a sample standard deviation of 12
pounds. Find the 90% confidence interval of the true mean weight of all college wrestlers. If a coach claimed that
the average weight of the wrestlers on the team was 310, would the claim be believable?
10. In proof testing of circuit boards, the probability that any particular diode will fail is 0.01. Suppose a circuit board
contains 200 diodes. What is the probability that at least four diodes will fail on a randomly selected board?
11. A manufacturing company uses an acceptance scheme on production items before they are shipped. The plan is a
two-stage one. Boxes of 25 are ready for shipment and a sample of 3 are tested for defectives. If any defectives
are found, the entire box is sent back for 100% screening. If no defectives are found, the box is shipped.
A. What is the probability that a box containing 3 defectives will be shipped?
B. What is the probability that a box containing on;y one defective will be sent back for screening?
12. A U.S. Travel Data Center survey conducted for Better Homes and Gardens of 1500 adults found that 39% said that
they would take more vacations this year than last year. Find the 95% confidence interval for the true proportion of
adults who said that they will travel more this year.
13. Thirty-five percent of adult Americans are regular voters. A random sample of 250 adults in a medium-size college
town were surveyed, and it was found that 110 were regular voters. Estimate the true proportion of regular voters
with 90% confidence and comment on your results.
14. The proportion of students in private schools is around 11%. A random sample of 450 students from a wide
geographic area indicated that 55 attended private schools. Estimate the true proportion of students attending
private schools with 95% confidence. How does your estimate compare to 11%?
15. A survey found that out of 200 workers, 168 said they were interrupted three or more times an hour by phone
messages, faxes, etc. Find the 90% confidence interval of the population proportion of workers who are
interrupted three or more times an hour.