In June 2007, Consumer Reports examined top-loading and front-loading washing machines, testing samples of several different brands of each type. One of the variables the article reported on was “cycle time,” the number of minutes it took each machine to wash a load of clothes. Among the machines rated good to excellent, the 98% confidence interval for the difference in mean cycle time (top – front) is (–40, –22). a) Explain what this interval means about the two types of washers.

Explain why you think each of the following statements is true or false:

b) 98% of top loaders are 22 to 40 minutes faster than front loaders.

c) If I choose the laundromat’s top loader, there’s a 98% chance that my clothes will be done faster than if I had chosen the front loader.

d) If I tried more samples of both kinds of washing machines, in about 98% of theses samples I’d expect the top loaders to be an average of 22 to 40 minutes faster.

e) If I tried more samples, I’d expect about 98% of the resulting confidence intervals to include the true difference in mean cycle time for the two types of washing machines.

f) I am 98% confident that top loaders wash clothes an average of 22 to 40 minutes faster than front-loaders.