3. Describing Data Numerically

In Exercises 25 and 26, find the range, mean, variance, and standard deviation of the population data set.

The mileages (in thousands of miles) for a rental car company’s fleet.

4 2 9 12 15 3 6 8 1 4 14 12 3 3

Extending Concepts

Alternative Formula You used SSₓ = Σ(x − x̄)² when calculating variance and standard deviation. An alternative formula that is sometimes more convenient for hand calculations is

SSₓ = Σ x² − (Σ x)² / n.

You can find the sample variance by dividing the sum of squares by n − 1 and the sample standard deviation by finding the square root of the sample variance.

b. Use the alternative formula to calculate the sample standard deviation for the data set in Exercise 15.

Lottery. In Exercises 15–20, refer to the accompanying table, which describes probabilities for the California Daily 4 lottery. The player selects four digits with repetition allowed, and the random variable x is the number of digits that match those in the same order that they are drawn (for a “straight” bet).

Range Rule of Thumb for Significant Events Use the range rule of thumb to determine whether 4 matches is a significantly high number of matches.