Final answer:
The margin of error at a 95% confidence level is calculated using the z-score for the desired confidence level, the sample standard deviation, and the sample size. This margin of error, once determined, is used to construct the confidence interval for the population mean weight around the sample mean.
Step-by-step explanation:
To compute the margin of error for a sample mean at 95% confidence, we use the formula: Margin of Error = (z-value) * (standard deviation / sqrt(n)), where z-value is the z-score corresponding to your confidence level, standard deviation is the standard deviation of your sample, and n is your sample size.
Given a sample size of n = 121, a sample mean of 39 pounds, and a standard deviation of 7 pounds, you would use the z-score for 95% confidence, which is approximately 1.96.
Plugging these numbers into the formula yields the margin of error. Once you've calculated the margin of error, you can create the confidence interval for the population mean weight, which is the sample mean plus or minus the margin of error.