Chapter 3, Problem 7SE

River Lengths (Example 2) The table shows the lengths (in miles) of major rivers in North America. (Source: World Almanac and Book of Facts 2017)

a. Find and interpret (report in context) the mean, rounding to the nearest tenth mile. Be sure to include units for your answer.

b. Find the standard deviation, rounding to the nearest tenth mile. Be sure to include units for your answer. Which river contributes most to the size of the standard deviation? Explain.

c. If the St. Lawrence River (length 800 miles) were included in the data set, explain how the mean and standard deviation from parts (a) and (b) would be affected. Then recalculate these values including the St. Lawrence River to see if your prediction was correct.