iPhonesSuppose 1000iPhones are produced at a factory today. Management would like to ensure that the phones’ display screens meet their quality standards before shipping them to retail stores. Because it takes about 10minutes to inspect an individual phone’s display screen, managers decide to inspect a sample of 20phones from the day’s production.

a. Explain why it would be difficult for managers to inspect an SRS of 20iPhones that are produced today.

b. An eager employee suggests that it would be easy to inspect the last 20iPhones that were produced today. Why isn’t this a good idea?

c. Another employee recommends a different sampling method: Randomly choose one of the first50 iPhones produced. Inspect that phone and every fiftieth iPhone produced afterward. (This method is known as systematic random sampling.) Explain carefully why this sampling method is not an SRS.

Short Answer

Expert verified

a. If a random sample of size 20is taken from 1000iPhones produced, the sample size 1000is quite small compared to the overall output of the day, with 0.001chance of being chosen.

b. If only the final 20phones are examined, this sample will not be typical of the entire output., at the end of the day, there may be a change in the production process (maybe the machine isn't performing efficiently.

c. SRS is a type of probability sampling in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. Systematic sampling is a hybrid of probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling techniques.

Step by step solution

01

Part (a) Step 1 : Given Information

We have to explain why it would be difficult for managers to inspect an SRS of 20iPhones that are produced today.

02

Part (a) Step 2 : Simplification

If a random sample of size 20is taken from 1000iPhones produced, the sample size 20is quite small compared to the overall output of the day.
Each of the 20units has a probability in an SRS of 20units out of 1000units.
11000=0.001chance of being chosen, which is extremely low.
03

Part (b) Step 1 : Given Information

We have to explain why the idea given in the question is not good.

04

Part (b) Step 2 : Simplification

If only the final 20phones are examined, this sample will not be typical of the entire output.
Because, at the end of the day, there may be a change in the production process (maybe the machine isn't performing efficiently.
Any change in the manufacturing process has an impact on the quality specifications of a fixed number of iPhones manufactured in the future. The management wants to make sure that all 1000iPhones produced fulfil the display screen quality specifications.
As a result, evaluating the last 20phones produced does not guarantee that the entire day's production will fulfil the quality standard.
05

Part (c) Step 1 : Given Information

We have to explain why this sampling method is not an SRS.

06

Part (c) Step 2 : Simplification

SRS is a type of probability sampling in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being
selected.
Systematic sampling is a hybrid of probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling techniques.
Because the initial member of the sample is chosen at random from the first 50units, this sampling method is probabilistic (each of first 50population units has Equal chance of being selected as first sample unit).
Theremainingunitsinthesamplearefixed(everyfiftiethmemberisselectedafterthefirstunitisselected)bythechoiceofthefirstunit,makingthismethodnon-probabilistic.
As a result, systematic random sampling does not qualify as an SRS.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

More oil and inflammation Refer to Exercise 55. Could blinding be used in this experiment? Explain your reasoning. Why is blinding an important consideration in this context?

Sampling the forestTo gather data on a 1200-acre pine forest in Louisiana, the U.S. Forest Service laid a grid of 1410equally spaced circular plots over a map of the forest. A ground survey visited a sample of 10%of the plots.

a. Explain how you would use a random number generator to choose an SRS of 141plots. Your description should be clear enough for a classmate to carry out your plan.

b. Use your method from part (a) to choose the first 3plots.

Timber! A lumber company wants to estimate the proportion of trees in a large forest that are ready to be cut down. They use an aerial map to divide the forest into 200equal-sized rectangles. Then they choose a random sample of 20rectangles and examine every tree that's in one of those rectangles.

a. What is the name for this kind of sampling method?

b. Give a possible reason why the lumber company chose this method.

A simple random sample of 1200 adult Americans is selected, and each person is asked

the following question: “In light of the huge national deficit, should the government at this

time spend additional money to send humans to Mars?” Only 39% of those responding

answered “Yes.” This survey

a. is reasonably accurate because it used a large simple random sample.

b. needs to be larger because only about 24 people were drawn from each state.

c. probably understates the percent of people who favor sending humans to Mars.

d. is very inaccurate but neither understates nor overstates the percent of people who favor

sending humans to Mars. Because simple random sampling was used, it is unbiased.

e. probably overstates the percent of people who favor sending humans to Mars.

Unequal benefitsResearchers on aging proposed investigating the effect of

supplemental health services on the quality of life of older people. Eligible patients on

The rolls of a large medical clinic were to be randomly assigned to treatment and control.

groups. The treatment group would be offered hearing aids, dentures, transportation, and other services not available without charge to the control group. The review board believed that providing these services to some but not other people in the same institution raised ethical questions. Do you agree?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Math Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free