Chapter 9.3

CHAPTER 9.3
Sampling Means
AP Exam Tip: Notation matters.
The symbols 𝒑, 𝒙, 𝝁, 𝝈, 𝒑, 𝝁𝒑, πˆπ’‘, 𝝁𝒙, πˆπ’™
all have specific and different
meanings. Either use notation
correctly or don’t use it at all. You
can expect to lose credit if you use
incorrect notation.
MEAN AND STANDARD
DEVIATION OF A SAMPLE
MEAN
β€’ Suppose π‘₯ is the mean of an SRS size 𝑛 from a large
population with µ and 𝜎.
β€’ Then the mean of the sampling distribution of π‘₯ is πœ‡π‘₯ = πœ‡
𝜎
and its standard deviation is 𝜎π‘₯ =
𝑛
β€’ Sample mean π‘₯ is an unbiased estimator of the
population mean πœ‡
β€’ Values of π‘₯ are less spread our for larger samples
𝜎
𝑛
β€’ Only use 𝜎π‘₯ =
when the population is at least 10
times as large as the sample or 𝑁 β‰₯ 10𝑛
Sulfur compounds such as
dimethyl sulfide (DMS) are
sometimes present in wine.
DMS causes β€œoff-odors” in
wine, so winemakers want to
know the odor threshold, the
lowest concentration of DMS
that the human nose can
detect.
THIS WINE STINKS
EXAMPLE 1
Extensive studies have found that the DMS odor threshold of
adults follows roughly a Normal distribution with mean πœ‡ = 25
micrograms per liter and standard deviation 𝜎 = 7 micrograms
per liter. Suppose we take an SRS of 10 adults and determine
the mean odor threshold π‘₯ for the individuals in the sample.
β€’ What is the mean of the sampling distribution of π‘₯?
β€’ What is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of
π‘₯?
SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION OF
A SAMPLE MEAN FROM A
NORMAL POPULATION
β€’ Draw an SRS of size 𝑛 from a population that has the
normal distribution with mean µ and standard deviation
𝜎.
β€’ Then the sample mean π‘₯ has the normal
distribution with mean µ and standard deviation
𝜎
.
𝑛
YOUNG WOMEN’S
HEIGHTS
The height of young women follows a Normal distribution
with πœ‡ = 64.5 inches and 𝜎 = 2.5 inches.
a. Find the probability that a randomly selected young
woman is taller than 66.5 inches.
b. Find the probability that the mean height of an SRS of
10 young women exceeds 66.5 inches.
SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEAN
HEIGHT π‘₯ FOR SRS OF 10 YOUNG WOMEN
COMPARED WITH THE POPULATION
DISTRIBUTION OF YOUNG WOMEN’S HEIGHTS
CENTRAL LIMIT THEOREM
β€’ Draw an SRS of size 𝑛 from any population whatsoever
with mean µ and finite standard deviation 𝜎.
β€’ When 𝑛 is large, the sampling distribution of the sample
𝜎
mean π‘₯ is close to the normal distribution 𝑁( πœ‡, ) with
𝜎
mean µ and standard deviation
.
𝑛
𝑛
β€’ Larger sample sizes are required if shape of the population is
far from Normal.
NORMAL CONDITION
FOR SAMPLE MEANS
β€’ If the population distribution is Normal, then so is
the sampling distribution of π‘₯. No matter the
sample size 𝑛.
β€’ If the population distribution is NOT Normal, the
central limit theorem tells us that the sampling
distribution of π‘₯ will be approximately Normal in
most cases if 𝒏 β‰₯ πŸ‘πŸŽ.
SERVICING AIR CONDITIONERS
β€’ Your company has a contract to perform preventive
maintenance on thousands of air-conditioning units in a
large city. Based on service records from the past year,
the time (in hours) that a technician requires to
complete the work follows the distribution below. This
distribution is strongly right-skewed, and the most likely
outcomes are close to 0.
β€’ The mean time is πœ‡ = 1 hour and the standard deviation
is 𝜎 = 1 hour. In the coming week, your company will
service an SRS of 70 air-conditioning units in the city.
You plan to budget an average of 1.1 hours per unit for
a technician to complete the work. Will this be
enough?
β€’ What is the probability that the average maintenance
time π‘₯ for 70 units exceeds 1.1 hours?
β€’ Normal approximation from the central limit
theorem for the average time needed to
maintain an air conditioner.