In a survey, 18 people were asked how much they spent on their child's last birthday gift. The results were roughly bell-shaped with a mean of $37 and standard deviation of $10. Construct a confidence interval at a 99% confidence level. Give your answers to one decimal place. ± Interpret your confidence interval in the context of this problem.

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### Construction of a Confidence Interval

**Problem Description:**

In a survey, 18 people were asked how much they spent on their child's last birthday gift. The results were roughly bell-shaped with a mean of $37 and a standard deviation of $10. Construct a confidence interval at a 99% confidence level.

**Instructions:**

Give your answers to one decimal place.

__________ ± __________

**Interpretation:**

Interpret your confidence interval in the context of this problem. 

**Detailed Explanation:**

To construct the confidence interval for the given data:

1. **Sample Mean (M)**: $37 
2. **Standard Deviation (SD)**: $10
3. **Sample Size (n)**: 18
4. **Confidence Level**: 99%

For a confidence interval at 99%, we use the Z-distribution (assuming a normal distribution due to a roughly bell-shaped data set). The critical value (Z-score) for a 99% confidence level is approximately 2.576.

The standard error (SE) is calculated as:
\[ 
SE = \frac{SD}{\sqrt{n}} = \frac{10}{\sqrt{18}} \approx 2.4 
\]

Next, calculate the margin of error (ME):
\[ 
ME = Z \times SE = 2.576 \times 2.4 \approx 6.2 
\]

To construct the confidence interval, add and subtract the margin of error from the sample mean:
\[ 
CI = M \pm ME = 37 \pm 6.2 
\]

Thus, the confidence interval is:
\[ 
30.8 \leq \mu \leq 43.2 
\]

**Interpretation:**

The 99% confidence interval means that we are 99% confident that the true mean amount spent on a child’s last birthday gift falls between $30.8 and $43.2.
Transcribed Image Text:### Construction of a Confidence Interval **Problem Description:** In a survey, 18 people were asked how much they spent on their child's last birthday gift. The results were roughly bell-shaped with a mean of $37 and a standard deviation of $10. Construct a confidence interval at a 99% confidence level. **Instructions:** Give your answers to one decimal place. __________ ± __________ **Interpretation:** Interpret your confidence interval in the context of this problem. **Detailed Explanation:** To construct the confidence interval for the given data: 1. **Sample Mean (M)**: $37 2. **Standard Deviation (SD)**: $10 3. **Sample Size (n)**: 18 4. **Confidence Level**: 99% For a confidence interval at 99%, we use the Z-distribution (assuming a normal distribution due to a roughly bell-shaped data set). The critical value (Z-score) for a 99% confidence level is approximately 2.576. The standard error (SE) is calculated as: \[ SE = \frac{SD}{\sqrt{n}} = \frac{10}{\sqrt{18}} \approx 2.4 \] Next, calculate the margin of error (ME): \[ ME = Z \times SE = 2.576 \times 2.4 \approx 6.2 \] To construct the confidence interval, add and subtract the margin of error from the sample mean: \[ CI = M \pm ME = 37 \pm 6.2 \] Thus, the confidence interval is: \[ 30.8 \leq \mu \leq 43.2 \] **Interpretation:** The 99% confidence interval means that we are 99% confident that the true mean amount spent on a child’s last birthday gift falls between $30.8 and $43.2.
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