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) | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of rods | 3 | 22 | 31 | 20 | 4 |
Find unbiased estimates of the population mean and variance of the rod diameters.
CJC · Discussion · Question 1
Answer
Mean estimate mm; unbiased variance estimate 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 , , , , sample standard deviation and population-style standard deviation . The visible extra summaries are minX=11 and Q 1=12. Use , not or , for the unbiased variance estimate. The estimates are mm and mm².
Method 2: calculate the weighted totals
and . Thus and mm², to 3 s.f. These estimates use the recorded, rounded diameters.
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.