CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF SANTA MARIA

SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

APPLIED STATISTICS TO ENGINEERING

SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION EXERCISES

Exercise 1
A population consists of the following five values: 0, 0, 1, 3, and 6.
a) List all samples of size 3 and calculate the mean of each sample.
b) Calculate the mean of the sampling distribution of the means and the mean of the population. Compare.
the two values.
c) Compare the dispersion of the population with that of the sample means.

Exercise 2
The law firm Tybo and Associates consists of six partners. In the following table, there
include the number of cases that each partner actually handled in the courts during the month
past.

a) How many samples of 3 are possible?

b) List all possible samples of 3 and calculate the average number of cases in each.
sample.
c) Compare the mean of the sampling distribution of the means with that of the population mean.
d) In a graph, compare the dispersion in the population with that of the sample means.

Exercise 3
Mid-Motors Ford has five salespeople. The five sales representatives and the number of
The cars that were sold last week are as follows:

a) How many samples of size 2 are possible?

b) List all possible samples of size 2 and calculate the mean in each sample.
c) Compare the mean of the sampling distribution of the mean with that of the population mean.
d) In a graph, compare the dispersion of the population with that of the sample mean.
Exercise 4
A normal population has a mean of 60 and a standard deviation of 12. You select
a random sample of 9. Calculate the probability that the sample mean:
It is greater than 63.
b) Be less than 56.
c) Is between 56 and 63.

Exercise 5
A normal population has a mean of 75 and a standard deviation of 5. You select
a sample of 40. Calculate the probability that the sample mean:
It is less than 74.
b) It is between 74 and 76.
c) It is between 76 and 77.
It should be greater than 77.

Exercise 6
In Southern California, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment has a distribution
normal with an average of $2,200 per month and a standard deviation of $250 per month. The
The distribution of the monthly cost does not follow a normal distribution. In fact, it has a bias.
positive.
What is the probability of selecting a sample of 50 one-bedroom apartments and
to find that the average is at least $1,950 monthly?

Exercise 7
According to a study by the Internal Revenue Service, taxpayers take 330 minutes.
on average in preparing, copying and filing in an electronic medium the tax form 1040. This
The time distribution is governed by a normal distribution, and the standard deviation is 80.
minutes.
A regulatory agency selects a random sample of 40 consumers.
a) What is the standard error of the mean in this example?
b) What is the probability that the sample mean is greater than 320 minutes?
c) What is the probability that the sample mean is between 320 and 350 minutes?
d) What is the probability that the sample mean is greater than 350 minutes?

Exercise 8
26. The average annual cost of car insurance is $939 (CNBC, February 23, 2006).
Suppose that the standard deviation is σ= $245.
a) What is the probability that in a simple random sample of insurance policies
the sample mean does not differ by more than $25 from the population mean if the size
Is the sample 30, 50, 100, and 400?
What advantage does a larger sample have when estimating the population mean?

Exercise 9
BusinessWeek conducted a survey among students who were finishing their studies in the
30 master's programs (BusinessWeek, September 22, 2003). Based on this
survey the average annual salary of a man and a woman 10 years after completing their
studies amount to $168,000 and $117,000, respectively. Assume that the standard deviation
the salaries of men with a degree is $40,000 and among women with a degree is $25,000.
a) What is the probability that in a simple random sample of 40 men with a degree
The sample mean does not differ by more than $10,000 from the population mean of $168,000?
b) What is the probability that in a simple random sample of 40 graduated women.
Does the sample mean not differ by more than $10,000 from the population mean of $117,000?
c) In which of the two cases, item a) or item b), is there a greater probability of obtaining a mean?
sample that does not differ by more than $10,000 from the population mean? Why?
d) What is the probability that in a simple random sample of 100 men with a degree,
the sample mean does not differ by more than $4,000 from the population mean?

Exercise 10
The average score of male golfers is 95 and for female golfers it is 106.
(Golf Digest, April 2006). Consider these values as population means for men.
and the women and suppose that the population standard deviation is σ 14 hits in both cases.
A simple random sample of 30 male golfers will be taken and another simple random sample.
of 45 female golfers.
a) Provide the sampling distribution of x corresponding to the golfers.
b) What is the probability that the sample mean does not differ by more than 3 points from the mean
population in the sample of men?
c) What is the probability that the sample mean does not differ by more than 3 strokes from the mean
population in the sample of female golfers?
d) In which case, section a) or section b), is the probability of the mean greater?
Does the sample not differ by more than 3 hits from the population mean? Why?

Exercise 11
35. The director of Doerman Distributors, Inc. believes that 30% of orders come from new customers.
clients. To see the proportion of new clients, a simple random sample of 100 will be used.
orders.
a) Suppose the director is correct and that p = 0.30. What is the sampling distribution?
of p in this study?
b) What is the probability that the sample proportion of p is between 0.20 and 0.40?
c) What is the probability that it is between 0.25 and 0.35? 37.

Exercise 12
People end up discarding 12% of what they buy in the supermarket.
Digest, March 2009). Assume that this is the true population proportion and that you plan to
conduct a survey by sampling 450 buyers to investigate more about their
behavior.
a) Present the sampling distribution of p, the proportion of goods that are discarded by the
respondents of the sample.
b) What is the probability that the survey will generate a sample proportion of _0.03
the population proportion?
c) What is the probability that the survey generates a sample proportion of _0.015?
the population proportion?

Exercise 13
38. Roper ASW conducted a survey to gather information about public opinion of the
Americans regarding money and happiness (Money, October 2003). Of the
interviewed, 56% said they check their checkbook balance at least once a month.
a) Suppose a sample of 400 adult Americans is taken. Indicate the distribution
of the proportion of those who check their checkbook at least
once a month.
b) What is the probability that the difference between the sample proportion and the population proportion
should not be greater than _0.02?

c) What is the probability that this difference is not greater than _0.04?

Exercise 14
In 2008, the Better Business Bureau resolved 75% of the complaints it received (USA Today, 2 of
March 2009). Suppose you have been hired by this office to investigate the claims.
what was received this year and that involve new automotive dealers. You plan to
select a sample of the complaints from the last ones to estimate the proportion that the Better
The Business Bureau is in a position to resolve. Assume that the population proportion of complaints
the resolution of new automotive dealers is 0.75, the same as the overall proportion
of claims resolved in 2008.
a) Suppose you select a sample of 450 complaints involving new dealers
automotive. Present the sampling distribution of p.
b) Based on the sample of 450 complaints, what is the probability that the difference between
the sample and population proportions are not greater than 0.04?
c) Suppose you select a sample of 200 complaints involving new dealers.
automotive. Present the sampling distribution of p.
d) Based on the smallest sample of only 200 complaints, what is the probability that the
Is the difference between the sample proportion and the population proportion not greater than 0.04?
e) Based on what is determined by the increase in probability, how much would be gained in
precision if the larger sample were taken in section b)?