A random sample of 110 lightning flashes in a certain region resulted in a sample average radar echo duration of .81 seconds and a sample standard deviation of .34 seconds. Calculate a 99% (two-sided) confidence interval for the true average echo duration μ, and interpret the resulting interval.

So on this case the 99% confidence interval would be given by (0.725;0.895)    

We are confident 99% that the true mean for the echo duration is between 0.725 and 0.895 seconds

Step-by-step explanation:

Previous concepts

A confidence interval is "a range of values that’s likely to include a population value with a certain degree of confidence. It is often expressed a % whereby a population means lies between an upper and lower interval".

The margin of error is the range of values below and above the sample statistic in a confidence interval.

Normal distribution, is a "probability distribution that is symmetric about the mean, showing that data near the mean are more frequent in occurrence than data far from the mean".

represent the sample mean for the sample  

population mean (variable of interest)

s=0.34 represent the sample standard deviation

n =110 represent the sample size  

Solution to the problem

The confidence interval for the mean is given by the following formula:

  (1)

In order to calculate the critical value we need to find first the degrees of freedom, given by:

Since the Confidence is 0.99 or 99%, the value of and , and we can use excel, a calculator or a table to find the critical value. The excel command would be: "=-T.INV(0.005,109)".And we see that

Now we have everything in order to replace into formula (1):

So on this case the 99% confidence interval would be given by (0.725;0.895)    

We are confident 99% that the true mean for the echo duration is between 0.725 and 0.895 seconds