Sarah is doing research, and she estimated the population mean using six random samples. Sarah accidentally erased one of the sample means. What is the missing sample mean if the estimated population mean is 4.2 and the sample means are 4.8, 3.2, 4.6, 5.3, 3.9?(1 point) The missing sample mean is

1 answer

To find the missing sample mean, we can use the formula for the average of the sample means. Let's denote the missing sample mean as \( x \).

The estimated population mean is calculated as follows:

\[ \text{Population Mean} = \frac{\text{Sum of all sample means}}{\text{Number of samples}} \]

In this case, we know:

  • The estimated population mean is \( 4.2 \).
  • There are 6 samples in total (including the missing one).

Thus, we have:

\[ 4.2 = \frac{4.8 + 3.2 + 4.6 + 5.3 + 3.9 + x}{6} \]

First, we can calculate the sum of the known sample means:

\[ 4.8 + 3.2 + 4.6 + 5.3 + 3.9 = 21.8 \]

Now we can substitute this into the equation:

\[ 4.2 = \frac{21.8 + x}{6} \]

Next, we multiply both sides by 6 to eliminate the fraction:

\[ 25.2 = 21.8 + x \]

Now, subtract \( 21.8 \) from both sides to solve for \( x \):

\[ x = 25.2 - 21.8 = 3.4 \]

Thus, the missing sample mean is \( \boxed{3.4} \).