Sale of spinach that is contaminated with e coli can cause food poisoning among consumers. A food inspector takes an SRS of 400 bags from all the bags of spinach shipped in one day. The laboratory reports that 19 of these bags had e coli contamination. Unknown to the producer, 1 percent of all bags shipped had e coli.
In this situation:
A) 1 percent is an estimate and 19 is a margin of error.
B) 1 percent is a parameter and 19 is a statistic.
C) 19 is a parameter and 1 percent is a statistic.
D) Both 1 percent and 19 are statistics.
E) Both 1 percent and 19 are parameters.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The 1 percent is given as the true proportion of bags with contamination, making it the parameter of interest. Meanwhile, the 19 bags out of 400 sampled from the population represent a statistic, specifically the sample proportion.

Sale of Spinach That Is Contaminated with E Coli Can