In a study designed to test the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating migraine, 142 subjects were treated with acupuncture. The numbers of migraine attacks for the treatment group had a mean of 1.8 and a standard deviation of 1.4. Construct a 95% confidence interval estimate of the mean number of migraine attacks for all people treated with acupuncture.

1 answer

To construct a 95% confidence interval for the mean number of migraine attacks for all people treated with acupuncture, we can use the formula for the confidence interval of the mean:

\[ \text{Confidence Interval} = \bar{x} \pm z \left( \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}} \right) \]

Where:

  • \(\bar{x}\) is the sample mean
  • \(z\) is the z-value corresponding to the desired confidence level (for 95%, \(z \approx 1.96\))
  • \(s\) is the sample standard deviation
  • \(n\) is the sample size

Given:

  • \(\bar{x} = 1.8\)
  • \(s = 1.4\)
  • \(n = 142\)

First, we need to calculate the standard error (SE):

\[ SE = \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}} = \frac{1.4}{\sqrt{142}} \approx \frac{1.4}{11.83} \approx 0.118 \]

Next, we calculate the margin of error (ME):

\[ ME = z \cdot SE \approx 1.96 \cdot 0.118 \approx 0.231 \]

Now, we can find the confidence interval:

\[ \text{Confidence Interval} = 1.8 \pm 0.231 \]

This gives us:

\[ \text{Lower Limit} = 1.8 - 0.231 \approx 1.569 \] \[ \text{Upper Limit} = 1.8 + 0.231 \approx 2.031 \]

Thus, the 95% confidence interval estimate of the mean number of migraine attacks for all people treated with acupuncture is approximately:

\[ (1.569, 2.031) \]