Final answer:
Based on the samples provided, 45 percent of student athletes and 6 percent of nonathlete students drive themselves to school, indicating that a higher proportion of student athletes drive. These figures exceed the principal's estimates and demonstrate a clear difference between the two groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question asks whether the percentage of student athletes who drive themselves to school is higher than the percentage of nonathlete students who do the same. Based on the given data, in a sample of 20 student athletes, 45 percent drive themselves to school. Contrastingly, in a sample of 35 nonathlete students, only 6 percent drive themselves to school. This suggests that a significantly higher percentage of student athletes drive themselves to school compared to nonathletes, exceeding the principal's claim of 30 percent for athletes and 4 percent for nonathletes.
It is important to interpret these results within the context of the data provided, and not make broad assumptions about student behavior such as truancy or time spent in school. As mentioned in the additional information, the survey regarding school attendance was taken over a full 24-hour day, so it reflects different times when students are likely in different locations. Therefore, we must be careful to attribute the correct meaning to the percentages calculated from the samples.