To estimate how many students in the school prefer animated movies based on Tan's survey, we can first find the proportion of students who prefer animated movies in the sample and then apply that proportion to the total number of students in the school.
From the survey:
- Total number of students surveyed = 120
- Number of students who prefer animated movies = 48
Now, we calculate the proportion of students who prefer animated movies:
\[ \text{Proportion of animated movie fans} = \frac{\text{Number of students who prefer animated}}{\text{Total number of students surveyed}} = \frac{48}{120} = 0.4 \]
Next, we apply this proportion to the total number of students in the school (628):
\[ \text{Estimated number of students who prefer animated movies} = \text{Total students} \times \text{Proportion} = 628 \times 0.4 = 251.2 \]
Since the number of students must be a whole number, we round it to 251.
Therefore, the approximate number of students in the school who prefer animated movies is 251.