Q. 6.137 - Elementary Statistics

Question

Students in an introductory statistics course at the U.S. Air Force Academy participated in Nabisco's "Chips Ahoy! 1,000 Chips Challenge" by confirming that there were at least 1000 chips in every 18-ounce bag of cookies that they examined. As part of their assignment, they concluded that the number of chips per bag is approximately normally distributed. Their conclusion was based on the data provided on the Weiss Stats site, which gives the number of chips per bag for 42 bags. Do you agree with the conclusion of the students? Explain your answer. [SOURCE: B. Warner and J. Rutledge, "Checking the Chips Ahoy! Guarantee, " Chance, Vol. 12(1), pp. 10-14]

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

As a result, the number of chips each bag is not divided evenly.

Step 1: Given Information

Whether the number of chips per bag is approximately normally distributed.

Step 2: Explanation

Consider the information on the number of chips per bag.

Below is a histogram of the number of chips per bag.

The histogram graph resembles a standard plot. 

It appears to be a skewed distribution in the right direction.

Step 3: Explanation

The following is a normal probability map of the given data of number of chips per bag.

The graph above isn't exactly linear.

As a result, the number of chips each bag is not divided evenly.