Question

The heights of a sample of basketball players on a middle school team are: 71, 60, 63, 69, 64, 70, 65, 66. Find the sample variance.

A) 2.50 inches
B) 14.29 inches
C) 65.5 inches
D) 66 inches

Answer 1

To find the sample variance of basketball players' heights, find the mean, calculate each height's deviation, square them, sum them, and divide by one less than the total number of observations. The correct sample variance is B) 14.29 inches.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks to find the sample variance for a given set of heights of middle school basketball players. To calculate the sample variance, follow these steps:

1. Calculate the mean (average) height.
2. Subtract the mean from each height to find the deviation for each value.
3. Square each deviation.
4. Sum the squared deviations.
5. Divide the total by the number of observations minus one to get the sample variance.

When these steps are followed, the correct answer is determined to be B) 14.29 inches.