Description

Assignment: Testing a Manufacturer’s MPG Claim: Part 1

Note: This Assignment consists of two parts. You will complete and submit Part 1 this week, and you will complete and submit Part 2 in Week 5.

Companies often develop and test hypotheses about their products. For example, car manufacturers will test their cars to determine fuel efficiency and miles per gallon. To ensure that products are safe and that they perform as advertised, regulatory and consumer protection groups also test companies’ claims.

For this Assignment, you are working at a firm that conducts independent testing for heavy industry. Recently, an automobile manufacturer has been in the news for complaints about the highway gas mileage of their latest model minivan. You receive a contract from a consumer action group to test and write a report on the company’s claim that its minivans get 28 miles per gallon on the highway. The car company agrees to allow you to select randomly 35 low-mileage fleet minivans to test their highway mileage. Your test results gave you the following data:

            29.7     24.5     27.1     29.8     29.2     27.0     27.8     24.1     29.3

            25.9     26.2     24.5     32.8     26.8     27.8     24.0     23.6     29.2

            26.5     27.7     27.1     23.7     24.1     27.2     25.9     26.7     27.8                

            27.3     27.6     22.8     25.3     26.6     26.4     27.1     26.1

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources.
• Refer to the scenario above and the data that was provided by the car company.
• Refer to the Academic Writing Expectations for 2000/3000-Level Courses as you compose your Assignment.

By Day 7

Submit Part 1 of your report according to the following prompts.

Part 1: Sample Mean, Standard Deviation, and Confidence Interval

Complete the following and include your results and responses in your report:

• Include a brief introduction that provides a context for the assignment you have been given by your firm.
• Calculate a 95% confidence interval around your sample mean. (75 words, or 1 paragraph)
  • Note: Include your calculations. If your calculations are submitted separately, make note of where they can be found.
• Is the company’s claimed mean inside your confidence interval? (75 words, or 1 paragraph)
• What does that result indicate about the company’s claim? (75 words, or 1 paragraph)