Allen's hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) has been studied by zoologist Bill Alther.â  Suppose a small group of 11 Allen's hummingbirds has been under study in Arizona. The average weight for these birds is x = 3.15 grams. Based on previous studies, we can assume that the weights of Allen's hummingbirds have a normal distribution, with Ï = 0.38 gram.
Find an 80% confidence interval for the average weight of Allen's hummingbirds in the study region. What is the margin of error?

Answer :

Answer:

[tex]3.15-1.28\frac{0.38}{\sqrt{11}}=3.003[/tex]    

[tex]3.15+ 1.28\frac{0.38}{\sqrt{11}}=3.297[/tex]    

So on this case the 80% confidence interval would be given by (3.003;3.297)

And the margin of error is given by:

[tex] ME = 1.28\frac{0.38}{\sqrt{11}}= 0.147[/tex]    

Step-by-step explanation:

Previous concepts

A confidence interval is "a range of values that’s likely to include a population value with a certain degree of confidence. It is often expressed a % whereby a population means lies between an upper and lower interval".

The margin of error is the range of values below and above the sample statistic in a confidence interval.

Normal distribution, is a "probability distribution that is symmetric about the mean, showing that data near the mean are more frequent in occurrence than data far from the mean".

[tex]\bar X=3.15[/tex] represent the sample mean

[tex]\mu[/tex] population mean (variable of interest)

[tex]\sigma=0.38[/tex] represent the population standard deviation

n=11 represent the sample size  

Solution to the problem

The confidence interval for the mean is given by the following formula:

[tex]\bar X \pm z_{\alpha/2}\frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}}[/tex]   (1)

Since the Confidence is 0.80 or 80%, the value of [tex]\alpha=0.2[/tex] and [tex]\alpha/2 =0.1[/tex], and we can use excel, a calculator or a table to find the critical value. The excel command would be: "=-NOR.INV(0.1,0,1)".And we see that [tex]z_{\alpha/2}=1.28[/tex]

Now we have everything in order to replace into formula (1):

[tex]3.15-1.28\frac{0.38}{\sqrt{11}}=3.003[/tex]    

[tex]3.15+ 1.28\frac{0.38}{\sqrt{11}}=3.297[/tex]    

So on this case the 80% confidence interval would be given by (3.003;3.297)

And the margin of error is given by:

[tex] ME = 1.28\frac{0.38}{\sqrt{11}}= 0.147[/tex]    

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