1. **a.** Mean: Hours per week spent on the Internet.
2. **b.** Proportion: Percentage of Internet time related to coursework.
3. **c.** Proportion: Proportion of students citing Wikipedia in papers.
4. **d.** Mean: Percentage of total weekly spending on snacks.
5. **e.** Proportion: Percentage of recent college graduates expecting a job within one year of graduation.
Let's analyze each situation to determine whether the parameter of interest is a mean or a proportion:
**a.** In a survey, one hundred college students are asked how many hours per week they spend on the Internet.
- Parameter: Mean
- Explanation: The question is asking for a numerical value (hours per week), which is characteristic of a mean.
**b.** In a survey, one hundred college students are asked: "What percentage of the time you spend on the Internet is part of your course work?"
- Parameter: Proportion
- Explanation: The response is expressed as a percentage, and it represents a proportion of the total time spent on the Internet.
**c.** In a survey, one hundred college students were asked whether they cited information from Wikipedia in their papers.
- Parameter: Proportion
- Explanation: The response is categorical (yes/no), representing the proportion of students who cite information from Wikipedia.
**d.** In a survey, one hundred college students are asked what percentage of their total weekly spending is on snacks.
- Parameter: Mean
- Explanation: The question is asking for a numerical value (percentage of spending), which is characteristic of a mean.
**e.** In a sample of one hundred recent college graduates, it is found that 65.2 per cent expect to get a job within one year of their graduation date.
- Parameter: Proportion
- Explanation: The response is expressed as a percentage and represents the proportion of recent college graduates who expect to get a job within one year.
The probable question may be:
For each of the following situations, state whether the parameter of interest is a mean or a proportion. It may be helpful to examine whether individual responses are numerical or categorical.
a. In a survey, one hundred college students are asked how many hours per week they spend on the Internet.
b. In a survey, one hundred college students are asked: "What percentage of the time you
spend on the Internet is part of your course work?" c. In a survey, one hundred college students were asked whether they cited information from Wikipedia in their papers.
d. In a survey, one hundred college students are asked what percentage of their total weekly spending is on snacks.
e. In a sample of one hundred recent college graduates, it is found that 65.2 per cent expect to get a job within one year of their graduation date.