IHP 525 Module Five Problem Set

1. Newborn weight. A study takes a SRS from a population of full-term infants. The standard
deviation of birth weights in this population is 2 pounds. Calculate 95% confidence intervals for
μ for samples in which:
a) n = 81 and mean = 7.0 pounds
s
CI=mean ± Z
√n
❑
= 7 ±1.960
√❑
b) n = 9 and mean = 7.0 pounds
s
CI= mean±Z
√n
❑
= 7±1.960
√❑

c) Which sample provides the most precise estimate of the mean birth weight?
The fist sample with a mean of 7.0 and a size of 81.
d) Interpret the CI you computed in part a).
It means the ideal sample mean is in between 7.44 and 6.56 at the upper side and lower
side respectively.

2. P-value and confidence interval. A two-sided test of H0: μ = 0 yields a P-value of 0.03. Will the
corresponding 95% confidence interval for μ include 0 in its midst? Will the 99% confidence
interval for μ include 0? Explain your reasoning in each instance.
Yes because the at the confidence level 95% the significance level is 0.05 whis makes the null
hypothesis acceptable at a confidence level of 99% with a significance level of 0.01.

3. Menstrual cycle length. Menstrual cycle lengths (days) in an SRS of nine women are as follows:
{31, 28, 26, 24, 29, 33, 25, 26, 28}. Use this data to test whether mean menstrual cycle length
differs significantly from a lunar month using a one sample t-test. (A lunar month is 29.5 days.)
Assume that population values vary according to a Normal distribution. Use a two-sided
alternative. Show all hypothesis-testing steps.
The sample mean is
❑❑ ❑
❑❑ ❑
Standard deviation is 2.88
Number of observation is 9
Population mean is 29.5
❑
t=sample mean-population mean ÷
√❑
2.88
t= ( 27.5-29.5 ) ÷ =-2.083
√9
hypothesis test
Alpha value is 0.05 and the degree of freedom is 8 therefore the critical value is 1.89 which is
less than the t-test value. The null hypothesis is accepted.

Problems retrieved from Gerstman, B. B. (2015). Basic biostatistics: Statistics for public health practice (2nd ed.). Burlington,
MA: Jones and Bartlett. ISBN: 978-1-284-03601-5
 4. Menstrual cycle length. Problem 3 calculated the mean length of menstrual cycles in an SRS of 9
women. The data revealed days with standard deviation s = 2.906 days.
a) Calculate a 95% confidence interval for the mean menstrual cycle length.
s
CI= mean±Z
√n
2.906
= 27.5±1.960 =29.399 or 25.60
√9
b) Based on the confidence interval you just calculated, is the mean menstrual cycle length
significantly different from 28.5 days at α = 0.05 (two sided)? Is it significantly different
from μ = 30 days at the same α-level? Explain your reasoning. (Section 10.4 in your text
considered the relationship between confidence intervals and significance tests. The
same rules apply here.)
c)
The menstrual cycle length is nt significantly different from 28.5 day but it is significantly
different from 30 days since the 28.5 days are included in the higher and lower range
while 30 days are not included.

5. Water fluoridation. A study looked at the number of cavity-free children per 100 in 16 North
American cities BEFORE and AFTER public water fluoridation projects. The table below lists the
data. You will need to manually type the data into StatCrunch to use that tool to calculate the
requested information.
a) Calculate delta values (After – Before) for each city. Then construct a stemplot or
boxplot of these differences. Interpret your plot.

Box Plot
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
After Before

b) What percentage of cities showed an improvement in their cavity-free rate?

Percentage increase = ❑
❑
c) Estimate the mean change with 95% confidence (i.e. compute a 95% CI for the mean
difference).
s
CI= mean±Z
√n
CI after=38.34±1.9626.5216=51.34 𝑜𝑟 25.35

Problems retrieved from Gerstman, B. B. (2015). Basic biostatistics: Statistics for public health practice (2nd ed.). Burlington,
MA: Jones and Bartlett. ISBN: 978-1-284-03601-5
 CI after=26.13±1.9620.5416=36.19 𝑜𝑟 16.07

21

Problems retrieved from Gerstman, B. B. (2015). Basic biostatistics: Statistics for public health practice (2nd ed.). Burlington,
MA: Jones and Bartlett. ISBN: 978-1-284-03601-5