Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 10 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
Drag z so that the shaded area between −z and z under the standard normal curve is 0.9615. Find z to two decimals.
The heights of adult men are normally distributed with mean 178 cm and standard deviation 7 cm. Drag the cut-off so the shaded bottom 10% is to the left of it. Find the cut-off x.
A sample of 30 items has mean 39 and standard deviation s = 18. The population is roughly normal. Find the margin of error E of a 90% confidence interval for the mean.
A pilot study suggests that about 0.7 of products are defective. How many products n must be inspected so that a 99% confidence interval for the proportion has a margin of error of at most 0.025?
Two production lines make the same part. Line 1: a sample of 60 parts has mean length 110.5 mm, and the line's known standard deviation is 16 mm. Line 2: a sample of 100 parts has mean 104.2 mm, known standard deviation 9 mm. Find the test statistic z for H₀: μ₁ = μ₂, taking the difference as x̄₁ − x̄₂ (line 1 minus line 2).
In a trial, 105 of 150 patients on treatment A recover, and 146 of 200 patients on treatment B. Using the pooled proportion, find the test statistic z for H₀: p₁ = p₂.
The table gives 5 paired observations of x = hours studied and y = exam score. Find Pearson's correlation coefficient r.
The table gives 5 paired observations of x = hours studied and y = exam score. Use the least-squares line ŷ = a + b·x. Predict ŷ for x = 2.5.
The contingency table shows observed counts. Compute the chi-square statistic χ² for the test of independence between the row and column variables. Do not use a continuity correction.
The table shows observed counts. Test at α = 0.01 whether the two variables are independent (no continuity correction). Compute the test statistic χ², then compare it with the critical value from the table.
Answer: z = 2.07
From an area back to z: Φ(z) is the area to the left of z. For a left-tail area A, find z with Φ(z) = A in the table. A right-tail area A means Φ(z) = 1 − A. A central area A between −z and z leaves (1 − A)/2 in each tail, so Φ(z) = (1 + A)/2. For a value x, use x = μ + zσ.
Find 0.9808 inside the table and read off z.
Answer: x = 169 cm
From an area back to z: Φ(z) is the area to the left of z. For a left-tail area A, find z with Φ(z) = A in the table. A right-tail area A means Φ(z) = 1 − A. A central area A between −z and z leaves (1 − A)/2 in each tail, so Φ(z) = (1 + A)/2. For a value x, use x = μ + zσ.
Answer: E = 5.583
Confidence interval for a mean: x̄ ± margin of error. With a known population σ the margin is z·σ/√n; with only the sample standard deviation s, use t with n − 1 degrees of freedom: t·s/√n. Critical values: z = 1.645 (90%), 1.96 (95%), 2.576 (99%). To get a margin E or smaller, you need n ≥ (z·σ/E)², rounded up.
Answer: n = 2230
Confidence interval for a proportion: p̂ ± z·√(p̂(1 − p̂)/n), where p̂ = x/n. To reach a margin E you need n ≥ z²·p(1 − p)/E², rounded up; without a prior estimate use p = 0.5, which gives the largest n.
Answer: z = 2.796
Hypothesis test: the test statistic = (estimate − value under H₀)/(standard error under H₀). The p-value is the probability, assuming H₀ is true, of a statistic at least as extreme as the one observed: the area in one tail for a one-sided H₁, twice the tail area for a two-sided H₁. Reject H₀ when p ≤ α.
|z| > 1.96, so H₀ is rejected at the 5% level (two-sided).
Answer: z = −0.6167
Hypothesis test: the test statistic = (estimate − value under H₀)/(standard error under H₀). The p-value is the probability, assuming H₀ is true, of a statistic at least as extreme as the one observed: the area in one tail for a one-sided H₁, twice the tail area for a two-sided H₁. Reject H₀ when p ≤ α.
|z| < 1.96, so H₀ is not rejected at the 5% level (two-sided).
Answer: r = 0.7165
Least-squares regression: with x̄ and ȳ the means, Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)², Syy = Σ(y − ȳ)² and Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ), the line ŷ = a + b·x has slope b = Sxy/Sxx and intercept a = ȳ − b·x̄, so it always passes through (x̄, ȳ). Pearson's correlation coefficient r = Sxy/√(Sxx·Syy) lies between −1 and 1; r² is the fraction of the variation in y explained by the line.
Answer: ŷ = 55.45
Least-squares regression: with x̄ and ȳ the means, Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)², Syy = Σ(y − ȳ)² and Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ), the line ŷ = a + b·x has slope b = Sxy/Sxx and intercept a = ȳ − b·x̄, so it always passes through (x̄, ȳ). Pearson's correlation coefficient r = Sxy/√(Sxx·Syy) lies between −1 and 1; r² is the fraction of the variation in y explained by the line.
Answer: χ² = 4.949
Chi-square tests: compare observed counts O with the counts E expected under H₀ using χ² = Σ(O − E)²/E. Goodness of fit: E = n·p for each category, df = k − 1 (minus one more for each parameter estimated from the data). Independence in an r × c table: E = row total × column total / grand total, df = (r − 1)(c − 1). Reject H₀ when χ² exceeds the critical value for the chosen α.
df = 1. At α = 0.05 the critical value is 3.841, so H₀ (independence) is rejected.
Answer: χ² = 66.37
Chi-square tests: compare observed counts O with the counts E expected under H₀ using χ² = Σ(O − E)²/E. Goodness of fit: E = n·p for each category, df = k − 1 (minus one more for each parameter estimated from the data). Independence in an r × c table: E = row total × column total / grand total, df = (r − 1)(c − 1). Reject H₀ when χ² exceeds the critical value for the chosen α.
χ² is above the critical value, so H₀ is rejected: the variables appear to be related.
ExamProblems · examproblems.com/courses/statistics-2-inference