Question: When asked almost everyone will identify the mean body temperature for healthy adults as 98.6 degrees F. The data lists 106 measured body temperature found by the University of Maryland researchers:

98.6 98.6 98.0 98.0 99.0 98.4 98.4 98.4 98.4 98.6 98.6

98.8 98.6 97.0 97.0 98.8 97.6 97.7 98.8 98.0 98.0 98.3

98.5 97.3 98.7 97.4 98.9 98.6 99.5 97.5 97.3 97.6 98.3

99.6 98.7 99.4 98.2 98.0 98.6 98.6 97.2 98.4 98.6 98.2

98.0 97.8 98.0 98.4 98.6 98.6 97.8 99.0 96.5 97.6 98.0

96.9 97.6 97.1 97.9 98.4 97.3 98.0 97.5 97.6 98.2 98.5

98.7 98.7 97.8 98.0 97.1 97.4 99.4 98.4 98.6 98.4 98.5

98.6 98.3 98.7 98.8 99.1 98.6 97.9 98.8 98.0 98.7 98.5

98.8 98.4 98.6 97.1 97.9 98.8 98.7 97.6 98.2 99.2 97.8

98.0 98.4 97.8 98.4 97.4 98.0 97.0

A) Find the margin of error and the confidence interval for the estimation the population mean body temperature using a 95% confidence coefficient. Assume that the population standard deviation σ=0.62 degrees F. Include an interpretation of your confidence interval estimate.

B) The researcher went further by making a claim that the 98.6 degrees F “should be abandoned as a concept having any particular significance for the normal body temperature”. Should we reject the common belief that the true mean body temperature of healthy adults is 98.6 degrees F? Carry out a test of significance. Use α=0.05

C) Skewness can be measured by Pearson’s index of skewness:

I=3(sample mean – sample median) / Sx

Where Sx is the sample standard deviation. If I ≥ 1.00 or I ≤ -1.00, the data can be considered to be significantly skewed. Find Pearson’s index of skewness and determine whether there is significant skewness for the data above.

D) What can you say about the overall shape of the distribution of the body temperatures?