AP Statistics Lab 6.

1
Purpose:
To determine the relationship between the means and standard deviations of a population
compared to a sample from that population.

Approach:
You will use a random number generator to sample a particular normal distribution. By
varying the size of the samples and computing the mean and standard deviations of the
samples, you will gather data on the distributions of sample means from different sized
samples. From that data, you will derive approximate equations for the expected values and
standard deviations of sample means.

New Nspire Commands:

As you will be randomly sampling a normal distribution, you need a new TI-Nspire command:
randNorm(mean, st dev, #). For example, randNorm(50,3,7) would draw 7 random samples
from a normal distribution for which 50 and 3 .
While not new, some of you have not used the sequence command on your Nspire. The
command seq(formula, variable, a, b) allows you to find the terms of a sequence defined by
formula with variable values evaluated from variable=a to variable=b. Try seq(2x+1,x,2,4)
as an example. Make sure you understand where each of the three outcomes come from.

Procedure:
1. Without actually running the command on your Nspire, explain what the command
mean(randNorm(50,3,7)) would give?

2. Explain what the command seq(mean(randNorm(50,3,7)),x,1,20) would produce.

3. This lab requires you to use the same particular normal distribution throughout, but it
does not matter which one. Name the mean and standard deviation you want to use. It
really doesnt matter what you choose.

4. In a Lists & Spreadsheet page, name and fill a column that draws 1 random data point
each time from your particular normal distribution. Include 2500 samples.
5. Go to a Calculator page and compute the mean and population standard deviation of
the list you just created. List those values below.

6. Explain why your results from the last question arent surprising.

7. Return to your Lists & Spreadsheet page create another column that records the mean
value from drawing 4 random data points each time from your normal distribution. Draw
2500 such samples.
8. Repeat the last step for four more columns, one each for samples of size 10, 25, 50,
and 100.
9. Compute the necessary statistics from your data columns to complete the table.
Sample Size

Mean

Standard Deviation

1
4
10
25
50
100
10. Insert a new Data & Statistics page. On that single page, create a separate histogram
of the data from each of your 6 columns. Use SOCS to compare and contrast your 6
histograms and the data from the table in the last question.

11. How do the means of samples compare to their population?

12. How do the standard deviations of samples compare to their population?

13. Now its time to quantify your observation in the last question. Since the standard
deviation of a sample from the same population seems to depend on the size of the
sample, it should be reasonable to investigate ordered pairs defined by
(sample size, standard deviation for that sample size).
Create a scatterplot of those 6 ordered pairs and sketch it below.

14. Use a straightening technique to linearize the data. Then transform your linear
regression equation back into an equation for the original data. Record that equation
below.

15. One of the constants should relate to the original normal distribution. Which one? Use
this to write an equation for the standard deviation of the mean of a sample of size n.

x ,n