Question

In class, you want to determine if the number of meal plans per week for a 4-year university differs by class. That is, you want to know if the student's class has anything to do with the number of meal plans they purchase

Answer 1

To analyze if meal plan purchase frequency varies by class at a university, collect data on meal plans per class and perform statistical tests, such as ANOVA. Additionally, construct a 95% confidence interval for the mean number of meals eaten out weekly to further understand meal habits.

Step-by-step explanation:

To investigate whether the number of meal plans per week at a 4-year university differs by class, one would conduct a statistical analysis. The procedure involves collecting data on the number of meal plans purchased by students across different class levels (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors), then using statistical tests such as ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) to determine if there are any significant differences between the classes. Questions like 'How often do you eat at a campus facility?' and 'When you eat on campus, which of these dining facilities do you choose?' would help gather data that can provide insight into students' dining preferences and frequencies related to their class.

Constructing a 95 percent confidence interval for the true mean number of meals students eat out each week is another type of analysis that could help understand student meal habits. First, calculate the sample mean, then use the known standard deviation (denoted as σ) and the number of students surveyed (n) to construct the interval using the formula (x - 2σ/√n, x + 2σ/√n).