Question

Below are the data collected from two random samples of 500 American students on the number of hours they spend in school per day (rounded to the nearest hour): Number of hours in school per day 4 5 6 7 8 Sample A: Number of students 70 100 125 135 70 Sample B: Number of students 80 90 120 125 85 Meg concludes that students spend a mean of 7 hours in school each day. Tara thinks the mean is 6 hours. Who is correct Meg or Tara? Explain your answer in two or three sentences.

Answer 1

Answer: Tara thinks correctly.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's calculate the average value in sample A:

(4 × 70 + 5 × 100 + 6 × 125 + 7 × 135 + 8 × 70) ÷ 500 = 6,07 ≈ 6 hours

Let's calculate the average value in sample B:

(4 × 80 + 5 × 90 + 6 × 120 + 7 × 125 + 8 × 85) ÷ 500 = 6,09 ≈ 6 hours

So, Tara is correct in saying that the mean is 6.