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Worked solution

Estimate population mean and variance from a frequency table

The diameters, in mm, of 80 rods selected at random from a large consignment are summarised below.

Diameter (nearest mm)1112131415
Number of rods32231204

Find unbiased estimates of the population mean and variance of the rod diameters.

CJC · Discussion · Question 1

Answer

Mean estimate 1313 mm; unbiased variance estimate 70/79≈0.88670/79\approx0.886 mm².

Method 1: read the correct calculator statistic

Enter diameters in L 1 and frequencies in L 2. The source’s 1-Var Stats screen uses List:L 1 and FreqList:L 2. Its results give xˉ=13\bar x=13, ∑x=1040\sum x=1040, ∑x2=13590\sum x^2=13590, n=80n=80, sample standard deviation Sx≈0.941316073S_x\approx0.941316073 and population-style standard deviation σx≈0.9354143467\sigma_x\approx0.9354143467. The visible extra summaries are minX=11 and Q 1=12. Use Sx2S_x^2, not SxS_x or σx2\sigma_x^2, for the unbiased variance estimate. The estimates are 1313 mm and (0.941316073…)2≈0.886(0.941316073\ldots)^2\approx0.886 mm².

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Method 2: calculate the weighted totals

∑x=11(3)+12(22)+13(31)+14(20)+15(4)=1040\sum x=11(3)+12(22)+13(31)+14(20)+15(4)=1040 and ∑x2=112(3)+122(22)+132(31)+142(20)+152(4)=13590\sum x^2=11^2(3)+12^2(22)+13^2(31)+14^2(20)+15^2(4)=13590. Thus xˉ=1040/80=13\bar x=1040/80=13 and s2=179(13590−1040280)=7079≈0.886s^2=\dfrac{1}{79}\left(13590-\dfrac{1040^2}{80}\right)=\dfrac{70}{79}\approx0.886 mm², to 3 s.f. These estimates use the recorded, rounded diameters.

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Common mistakes

The unbiased variance uses n−1. The calculator’s Sx is a standard deviation and must be squared.

Solution notes

No marks are printed for this question; none are invented.

The page image confirms a superscript 2 on 0.941316073 in the printed variance line; the extraction drops the exponent. It is not a printed claim that the variance equals 0.941316073.

Read the hint