Chapter 9: Statistical inferences about two populations

1. Test the following hypotheses with the data given. Let  .10.
H0: µ1 – µ2 = 0
Ha: µ1 – µ2 ≠ 0

Sample 1 Sample 2
x1 = 138.4 x 2 = 142.5
σ1 = 6.71 σ2 = 8.92
n1 = 48 n2 = 39

2. Use the following data to construct a 98% confidence interval to estimate the
difference between 1 and 2.
Sample 1 Sample 2
x1 = 34.9 x 2 = 27.6
σ12 = 2.97 σ22 = 3.50
n1 = 34 n2 = 31

3. The following data come from independent samples drawn from normally distributed
populations. Use these data to test the following hypotheses. Let the Type I error rate
be .05, and assume  1   2 .
2 2

H0: µ1 – µ2 = 0
Ha: µ1 – µ2 > 0
Sample 1 Sample 2
x1 = 2.06 x 2 = 1.93
s12 = 0.176 s22 = 0.143
n1 = 12 n2 = 15

4. Construct a 95% confidence interval to estimate 1  2 by using the following data.

Assume that the populations are normally distributed.
Sample 1 Sample 2
x1 = 74.6 x 2 = 70.9
s12 = 10.5 s22 = 11.4
n1 = 18 n2 = 19
5. The following data have been gathered from two related samples. The differences are
assumed to be normally distributed in the population. Use these data and an alpha of
.01 to test the following hypotheses.
H0: 𝜇𝐷 ≥ 0
Ha: 𝜇𝐷 < 0
n = 21, d = –1.16, sd = 1.01

6. Use the following data to construct a 99% confidence interval to estimate D. Assume
that the differences are normally distributed in the population.

Respondent Before After

1 47 63
2 33 35
3 38 36
4 50 56
5 39 44
6 27 29
7 35 32
8 46 54
9 41 47

7. Test the following hypotheses by using the given data and an alpha equal to .05.
H0: p1 – p2 = 0
Ha: p1 – p2  0

Sample 1 Sample 2
x1 = 345 x2 = 421
n1 = 783 n2 = 896

8. Use the following data to construct a 99% confidence interval to estimate p1  p2.
Sample 1 Sample 2
n1 = 409 n2 = 378
p̂ 1 = 0.71 p̂ 2 = 0.67
9. A tree nursery has been experimenting with fertiliser to increase the growth of
seedlings. To gain more insight, 35 two-year-old pine trees are grown for three more
years with a cake of fertiliser buried in the soil near the tree roots. A second group of
35 two-year-old pine trees are grown for three more years under identical conditions
(soil, temperature, water) to the first group, except that they are not fertilised. Tree
growth is measured over the three-year period with the following results.
Do the data support the theory that the population of trees with the fertiliser grew
significantly larger during the period in which they were fertilised than the
unfertilised trees? Use   .01.

With Fertiliser Without Fertiliser

x1 = 97.5 x 2 = 58.7
1 = 24.9 2 = 18.8
n1 = 35 n2 = 35

10. According to a study conducted for Gateway Computers, 59% of men and 70% of
women say that weight is an extremely/very important factor in purchasing a laptop
computer. Suppose this survey was conducted using 374 men and 481 women. Do
these data show enough evidence to declare that a significantly higher proportion of
women than men believe that weight is an extremely/very important factor in
purchasing a laptop computer? Use a 5% level of significance.

11. To compare customer satisfaction levels of two competing cable television

companies, 174 customers of Company 1 and 355 customers of Company 2 were
randomly selected and were asked to rate their cable companies on a five-point scale,
with 1 being least satisfied and 5 most satisfied. The survey results are summarized in
the following table:

Company 1 Company 2

n1=174 n2=355

x1 =3.51 x 2 =3.24

σ1=0.51 σ2=0.52

Construct a point estimate and a 99% confidence interval for μ1−μ2, the difference in
average satisfaction levels of customers of the two companies as measured on this
five-point scale.
12. A boutique confectioner wants to estimate the difference between the average weights
of its handmade chocolates sold in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. According to the
confectioner’s researcher, a random sample of 20 chocolates sold at stores in Kuala
Lumpur yielded a sample mean of 17.53 grams, with a standard deviation of 3.2
grams. Her random sample of 24 handmade chocolates sold at stores in Johor Bahru
yielded a sample mean of 14.89 grams, with a standard deviation of 2.7 grams. Use a
1% level of significance to determine whether there is a difference between the mean
weights of handmade chocolates sold in these two cities. Assume that the population
variances are approximately the same and that the weights of handmade chocolates
sold in the stores are normally distributed.

13. As the prices of heating oil and natural gas increase, consumers become more careful
about heating their homes. Researchers want to know how warm home owners keep
their houses in September and how the results from London and Lancaster compare.
The researchers randomly call 23 London households between 7 pm and 9 pm on 15
September and ask the respondent the temperature (°C) of the house according to the
thermostat setting. The researchers then call 19 households in Lancaster on the same
night and ask the same question. The results follow.
London Lancaster
21.7 22.8
21.1 23.3
23.9 22.2
23.3 23.3
20.6 20.6
21.1 23.9
21.7 22.8
16.1 21.7
20.0 22.8
20.0 21.1
22.2 23.3
22.8 23.3
18.3 20.6
19.4 21.1
21.7 19.4
19.4 21.7
19.4 21.1
22.2 22.2
20.0 22.2
20.6
22.8
20.6
22.2
 Assuming that the temperatures are normally distributed, construct a 95% confidence
interval for the ratio of the variances of temperatures of houses in London and in
Lancaster on the evening of 15 September.

14. In a survey of 64 land holdings in the Mossman River catchment, it was found 7.8%
of land was used for agricultural production. The corresponding figure for the
Daintree River catchment was 6.4% in the 106 holdings surveyed. Construct a 95%
confidence interval for the difference in proportion of the agricultural land use
between the two catchments.