To determine the organic material in a dried lake bed, the percent carbon by mass is measured at two different locations. To compare the means of the two different locations, it must first be determined whether the standard deviations of the two locations are different. For each location, calculate the standard deviation and report it with two significant figures.
What is the calculated F value for comparing the standard deviations?
Are the standard deviations for the two locations significantly different at the 95% confidence level?
Sample Location 1 (% C) Location 2 (% C)
1 10.40 10.10
2 10.30 10.90
3 10.30 10.20
4 10.40 10.70
5 10.30 10.30