In: Statistics and Probability
3) Which of the following questions can be answered
based on a normal model?Explain. (You do not need to answer the
questions, just determine if a normal model is appropriate.)
a) According to the growth charts produced by the
World Health Organization, one-month-old girls have a mean head
circumference of 36.55cm and a standard deviation of 1.17 cm. In
general, body measurements in a large population can be modeled by
a normal curve.
In a study of health conditions in a county with a high poverty
rate, researchers find that a random sample of 25 one-month-old
girls have a mean head circumference of 36cm. Does this sample
provide strong evidence that the mean head circumference for the
population of one-month-old girls in this county is unusually
small?
b) According to the US Census Bureau 2014 Annual
Social and Economic Supplement, the mean household income in the
United States was $72,641. Previous studies suggest that the
standard deviation is about $35,000. Income data is skewed strongly
to the right.
We are interested in determining whether the mean household income
is higher in our county. We randomly sample 25 households and
determine that the mean income is $65,000. Does this sample provide
strong evidence that the mean income is lower in our county?