Final answer:
To calculate the mean mass of the elephants, we use the weighted mean. The weighted mean is found by multiplying each mass by its frequency, summing the products, and dividing by the total number of elephants. In this case, the weighted mean mass of the elephants at the sanctuary is 1.81 tonnes.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the mean mass of the elephants at the sanctuary, we need to find the weighted mean. The weighted mean is calculated by taking the sum of the products of each mass and its corresponding frequency, and dividing it by the sum of the frequencies.
In this case, we have:
Mass (tonnes): Frequency
1 9
2 14
3 4
To calculate the weighted mean, we multiply each mass by its frequency:
(1 * 9) + (2 * 14) + (3 * 4) = 9 + 28 + 12
= 49
Then, we divide this sum by the total number of elephants:
9 + 14 + 4 = 27
The weighted mean mass of the elephants at the sanctuary is 49/27 = 1.81 tonnes (rounded to 1 decimal place).