MA145 Final Exam - Takehome Portion

For each of the problems below, use the MA145 technology guide to perform a statistical analysis. You should justify your choice of method, including any assumptions made in the use of the method. You should indicate whether a two-tailed, left-tailed, or right-tailed analysis is appropriate, and, in hypothesis testing problems, state the null and alternative hypotheses. If the problem does not specify a level of significance, you should choose one.

Problem 1

A sample of 65 households with children under the age of six in a rural area of sub-Saharan Africa is provided with mosquito netting, while a contol group of 42 households is not. During the next year, there are an average of 0.3 new cases of falciparum malaria with a standard deviation of 0.8 in households that received netting, and 0.5 new cases with a standard deviation of 1.0 in households not provided with netting. Does this data support the claim that the netting is effective in reducing the incidence of this type of malaria?

Problem 2

An economic study examines the household incomes of 32 recipients of microloans in the year before and and after a loan was recieved. The average difference is $1,281 with a standard deviation of 485.1. Does this data support the conclusion that microloans increase household income?

Problem 3

Prior to enactment of antiterror legislation published data on graduate mathematics programs indicates that on average 32.1 applications from foreign students are received each year. Three years after the enactment of the legislation, a sample of 84 graduate programs shows an average of 21.3 foreign applicantswith a standard deviation of 12.1. Does this data support the claim that the number of foreign applicants has decreased?