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Activity Number:
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283
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Type:
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Contributed
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Date/Time:
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Tuesday, August 4, 2009 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
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Sponsor:
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Section on Statistical Education
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| Abstract - #304300 |
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Title:
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Determining the Sample Size for Estimating the Standard Deviation
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Author(s):
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Kevin S. Robinson*+
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Companies:
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Millersville University of Pennsylvania
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Address:
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Department of Mathematics, Millersville, PA, 17551-0302,
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Keywords:
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Chi-Square ; Confidence Intervals ; R-Software ; Variance
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Abstract:
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Before collecting data, the practitioner needs to determine the sample size necessary to accomplish the goals of the study. In many situations it is of interest to estimate the population standard deviation. When the underlying distribution is normal, methods have been developed for determining the sample size needed for the estimate to be near the population standard deviation with some confidence. In this work, we discuss options for using modern computing to calculate the required sample size. The options are simple to use and are an improvement over the somewhat complicated tables and figures used previously. In general, the work also illustrates how the advances in classroom technology and computing can lead to a missed opportunity in the traditional Statistics curriculum.
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