Section C Section C Checkpoint
Problem 1
A large company uses 2 manufacturing plants to package 50 pound bags of corn seed. The weight of the bags that are produced in a week are measured and summarized with this information.
Plant A
- Mean weight of bags: 51.2 pounds
- MAD weight of bags: 1.8 pounds
Plant B
- Mean weight of bags: 50.1 pounds
- MAD weight of bags: 0.1 pounds
- Write 2 sentences comparing the distribution of bag weights for the 2 plants based on the given information.
- The company is worried about one of the plants having too many bags that are under the advertised 50 pound weight. Which plant do you think is having this problem? Explain your reasoning.
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Solution
- Sample response: Plant A typically makes heavier bags of corn seed based on the mean, but has much larger variability based on the MAD. Plant B is more consistent in bag weight and stays closer to the 50 pound bags that are claimed.
- Plant A. Sample reasoning: Although the mean weight is greater, the large MAD indicates that it is not uncommon to have bags that weigh less than the advertised 50 pounds ()
Show Sample Response
Sample Response
- Sample response: Plant A typically makes heavier bags of corn seed based on the mean, but has much larger variability based on the MAD. Plant B is more consistent in bag weight and stays closer to the 50 pound bags that are claimed.
- Plant A. Sample reasoning: Although the mean weight is greater, the large MAD indicates that it is not uncommon to have bags that weigh less than the advertised 50 pounds ()