Computing Margin Of Error
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SPSS Statistics for Dummies, 3rd Edition Statistics II for Dummies Load more EducationMathStatisticsHow to Calculate the Margin of Error for a Sample
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Mean How to Calculate the Margin of Error for a Sample Mean Related Book Statistics For Dummies, 2nd Edition By Deborah J. Rumsey When a research question asks you to find a statistical sample mean (or
Computing Confidence Interval
average), you need to report a margin of error, or MOE, for the sample mean. The general formula for the margin of error for the sample mean (assuming a certain condition is met -- see below) is is the population standard deviation, n is the sample size, and z* is the appropriate z*-value for your desired level of confidence (which you can find in the following table). z*-Values for Selected (Percentage) Confidence Levels computing standard deviation Percentage Confidence z*-Value 80 1.28 90 1.645 95 1.96 98 2.33 99 2.58 Note that these values are taken from the standard normal (Z-) distribution. The area between each z* value and the negative of that z* value is the confidence percentage (approximately). For example, the area between z*=1.28 and z=-1.28 is approximately 0.80. This chart can be expanded to other confidence percentages as well. The chart shows only the confidence percentages most commonly used. Here are the steps for calculating the margin of error for a sample mean: Find the population standard deviation and the sample size, n. The population standard deviation, will be given in the problem. Divide the population standard deviation by the square root of the sample size. gives you the standard error. Multiply by the appropriate z*-value (refer to the above table). For example, the z*-value is 1.96 if you want to be about 95% confident. The condition you need to meet in order to use a z*-value in the margin of error formula for a sample mean is either: 1) The original population has a normal distribution to start with, or 2) The sample size is large enough so the normal distribution can be used (that is, the Central Limit Theorem applies ). In general, the sample size, n, should be abo
test AP formulas FAQ AP study guides AP calculators Binomial Chi-square f Dist Hypergeometric Multinomial Negative binomial Normal Poisson t Dist Random numbers Probability Bayes rule Combinations/permutations Factorial Event counter Wizard Graphing Scientific Financial Calculator books AP computing sample size calculator review Statistics AP study guides Probability Survey sampling Excel Graphing calculators Book reviews calculating margin of error Glossary AP practice exam Problems and solutions Formulas Notation Share with Friends Margin of Error In a confidence interval, the range margin of error formula of values above and below the sample statistic is called the margin of error. For example, suppose we wanted to know the percentage of adults that exercise daily. We could devise a sample design to http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-calculate-the-margin-of-error-for-a-sample-.html ensure that our sample estimate will not differ from the true population value by more than, say, 5 percent (the margin of error) 90 percent of the time (the confidence level). How to Compute the Margin of Error The margin of error can be defined by either of the following equations. Margin of error = Critical value x Standard deviation of the statistic Margin of error = Critical value x http://stattrek.com/estimation/margin-of-error.aspx Standard error of the statistic If you know the standard deviation of the statistic, use the first equation to compute the margin of error. Otherwise, use the second equation. Previously, we described how to compute the standard deviation and standard error. How to Find the Critical Value The critical value is a factor used to compute the margin of error. This section describes how to find the critical value, when the sampling distribution of the statistic is normal or nearly normal. The central limit theorem states that the sampling distribution of a statistic will be nearly normal, if the sample size is large enough. As a rough guide, many statisticians say that a sample size of 30 is large enough when the population distribution is bell-shaped. But if the original population is badly skewed, has multiple peaks, and/or has outliers, researchers like the sample size to be even larger. When the sampling distribution is nearly normal, the critical value can be expressed as a t score or as a z score. When the sample size is smaller, the critical value should only be expressed as a t statistic. To find the critical value, follow these steps. Compute alpha (α): α = 1 - (confidence level / 100) Find the cri
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a Sample Size Do We Need for a… 3 What Is a Confidence Interval? 4 How to Calculate a Confidence Interval for a… 5 Calculating a Confidence Interval for a Mean About.com About Education Statistics . . . Statistics Help and Tutorials by Topic Inferential Statistics How to Calculate the Margin of Error What Is the Margin of Error for an Opinion Poll? Share Pin Tweet Submit Stumble Post Share By Courtney Taylor Statistics Expert By Courtney Taylor Many times political polls and other applications of statistics state their results with a margin of error. It is not uncommon to see that an opinion poll states that there is support for an issue or candidate at a certain percentage of respondents, plus and minus a certain percentage. It is this plus and minus term that is the margin of error. But how is the margin of error calculated? For a simple random sample of a sufficiently large population, the margin or error is really just a restatement of the size of the sample and the level of confidence being used.The Formula for the Margin of ErrorIn what follows we will utilize the formula for the margin of error. We will plan for the worst case possible, in which we have no idea what the true level of support is the issues in our poll. If we did have some idea about this number , possibly through previous polling data, we would end up with a smaller margin of error.The formula we will use is: E = zα/2/(2√ n) continue reading below our video 5 Common Dreams and What They Supposedly Mean The Level of ConfidenceThe first piece of information we need to calculate the margin of error is to determine what level of confidence we desire. This number can be any percentage less than 100%, but the most common levels of confidence are 90%, 95%, and 99%. Of these three the 95% level is used most frequently.If we subtract the level of confidence from one, then we will obtain the value of alpha, written as α, needed for the formula.The Critical ValueThe next step in calculating the margin or error is to find the appropriate critical value. This is indicated by the term zα/2 in the above formula. Since we have assumed a simple random sample with a large population, we can use the standard normal distribution of z-scores.Suppose that we are working with a 95% level of