Question

1. Scientists at the Hopkins Memorial Forest in western Massachusetts have been collecting weather and environmental data for more than 100 years. Recently they have stated that sulfate content in water samples from Birch Brook have an average sulfate content of 7.48 mg/L with a standard deviation of 1.60 mg/L.
   1. What is our population of interest?
      
      
   2. Are the average and standard deviations given sample statistics or population parameters? Explain.
      
      
   3. Suppose you plan to take a sample of 36 spots in Birch Brook.
      1. What type of sample would you like to have?
      2. Give a brief plan on how you could get a simple random sample.

Answer 1

1. What is our population of interest?

sulfate content in water

1. Are the average and standard deviations given sample statistics or population parameters? Explain.

The average and standard deviations are population parameters because they are defining the population.

1. Suppose you plan to take a sample of 36 spots in Birch Brook.
   1. What type of sample would you like to have?

Random sample

1. Give a brief plan on how you could get a simple random sample.

I will randomly select 36 values from the population and that would be the sample.