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A sociologist plans to conduct a survey to estimate the percentage of adults who believe in astrology. How many people must be surveyed if we want a confidence level of 99

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Final answer:

To determine the minimum number of people required to estimate the percentage of adults who believe in astrology with a 99 percent confidence level, use the sample size formula N = (Z^2 * p * (1-p)) / E^2, where Z is the Z-score, p is the estimated percentage, and E is the desired margin of error.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the minimum number of people required to be surveyed in order to estimate the percentage of adults who believe in astrology with a 99 percent confidence level, you need to use the formula for sample size calculation:

N = (Z^2 * p * (1-p)) / E^2,

Where:

  • N is the required sample size
  • Z is the Z-score, typically corresponding to the desired confidence level
  • p is the estimated percentage of the population that possesses the characteristic being measured
  • E is the desired margin of error, expressed as a decimal

Since the question does not provide an estimated percentage or margin of error, we cannot calculate the exact sample size. However, for illustrative purposes, let's assume we want a margin of error of 5% (0.05) and an estimated percentage of 50%. Plugging these values into the sample size formula:

N = (Z^2 * p * (1-p)) / E^2 = (Z^2 * 0.5 * 0.5) / 0.05^2 = Z^2 * 0.25 / 0.0025 = Z^2 * 100

Therefore, to estimate the minimum sample size, you need to find the appropriate Z-score for a 99 percent confidence level and substitute it into the formula.

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