Lesson 1
Sampling Distribution
of the Sample Mean
(when the Variance is
Known)
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to
correctly describe the sampling distribution of the
sample mean;
accurately compute the mean, variance, and
standard deviation of the sampling distribution of
the sample mean.
Essential Questions
● On what instances can we apply the sampling distribution
of the sample mean?
● What is the relationship between the mean and standard
deviation of the sampling distribution of the sample mean
and the population mean and standard deviation?
Warm Up!
Before we discuss about the sampling distribution of the
sample mean, let us recall how to get the variance of a
sample by working as a class on the following short online
exercise.
(Click the link to access the exercise.)
Salman, Khan. “Variance.” Khan Academy. Retrieved 27 July
2019 from https://bit.ly/30XmXHZ
Guide Questions
● How will you interpret the variance of a sample?
● How accurate are the sample mean and variance as
estimates of the population mean and variance,
respectively?
Learn about It!
Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean
1 the probability distribution of the sample mean from all possible samples from a
population
Example:
Consider the set of all possible samples of size from the
population . These samples are , , and whose sample means
are , , and , respectively. Then, we have the following sampling
distribution of the sample mean.
Learn about It!
Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean
1 the probability distribution of the sample mean from all possible samples from a
population
Sample Mean Frequency
Learn about It!
Mean of the Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean
2 If a population is normally distributed, then the mean of the sampling distribution
of the sample mean is equal to the population mean.
The mean of the sampling distribution of the sample mean is
denoted by . This means that
Learn about It!
Mean of the Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean
2 If a population is normally distributed, then the mean of the sampling distribution
of the sample mean is equal to the population mean.
Example:
A population is normally distributed with a mean of . Hence,
the mean of the sampling distribution of the sample mean is .
Learn about It!
3 Variance of the Sampling Distribution of the
Sample Mean
also called the sampling variability; this shows how the sample mean varies from
sample to sample
The variance of the sampling distribution of the sample mean
is denoted by. This is equal to the population variance
divided by the sample size .
Learn about It!
3 Variance of the Sampling Distribution of the
Sample Mean
also called the sampling variability; this shows how the sample mean varies from
sample to sample
Example:
A population has a variance of . A sample of size is taken
from the population. Using these, we can compute for the
variance of the sampling distribution of the sample mean.
Learn about It!
Thus, the variance of the sampling distribution of the sample
mean is .
Learn about It!
4 Standard Deviation of the Sampling Distribution of
the Sample Mean
also called the standard error; this is used to measure the accuracy with which the
sample represents the population
If a population is normally distributed, then the standard
error of the sampling distribution is given by , where is the
population standard deviation and is the sample size.
Learn about It!
4 Standard Deviation of the Sampling Distribution of
the Sample Mean
also called the standard error; this is used to measure the accuracy with which the
sample represents the population
Note that the standard deviation of the sampling distribution
of the sample mean is the square root of its variance.
Learn about It!
4 Standard Deviation of the Sampling Distribution of
the Sample Mean
also called the standard error; this is used to measure the accuracy with which the
sample represents the population
Example:
A population has a standard deviation of . A sample of size is
drawn from the population. The standard deviation of the
sampling distribution of the sample mean is computed as
follows.
Learn about It!
Thus, the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of
the sample mean is .
Try It!
Example 1: Ms. Linetti found out that the age of Grade 12
students is normally distributed with an average of years
and a variance of . Determine the mean and standard
deviation of the sampling distribution of the sample mean
with a sample size of .
Try It!
Example 1: Ms. Linetti found out that the age of Grade 12 students is normally distributed
with an average of years and a variance of . Determine the mean and standard deviation of
the sampling distribution of the sample mean with a sample size of .
Solution:
1. Identify the given information.
The mean is .
The variance is . It follows that the standard deviation is .
The sample size is .
Try It!
Example 1: Ms. Linetti found out that the age of Grade 12 students is normally distributed
with an average of years and a variance of . Determine the mean and standard deviation of
the sampling distribution of the sample mean with a sample size of .
Solution:
2. The population is normally distributed, so the mean of the
sampling distribution of the sample mean is equal to the
population mean.
Try It!
Example 1: Ms. Linetti found out that the age of Grade 12 students is normally distributed
with an average of years and a variance of . Determine the mean and standard deviation of
the sampling distribution of the sample mean with a sample size of .
Solution:
3. Compute for the standard deviation of the sampling
distribution of the sample mean.
Try It!
Example 1: Ms. Linetti found out that the age of Grade 12 students is normally distributed
with an average of years and a variance of . Determine the mean and standard deviation of
the sampling distribution of the sample mean with a sample size of .
Solution:
Therefore, the mean of the sampling distribution of the
sample mean is years and the standard error is
years.
Try It!
Example 2: Determine the sample size if the variance of the
population is and the standard error of the sample mean is .
Try It!
Example 2: Determine the sample size if the variance of the
population is and the standard error of the sample mean is .
Solution:
1. List the given information.
The variance of the population is .
The standard error is also the sampling distribution of the
sample mean, which is .
Try It!
Example 2: Determine the sample size if the variance of the
population is and the standard error of the sample mean is .
Solution:
2. Compute for the variance of the sampling distribution of
the sample mean using the given standard error.
The standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the
sample mean is the square root of its variance.
Try It!
Example 2: Determine the sample size if the variance of the
population is and the standard error of the sample mean is .
Solution:
Try It!
Example 2: Determine the sample size if the variance of the
population is and the standard error of the sample mean is .
Solution:
3. Solve for the sample size using the formula for the
variance of the sampling distribution of the sample mean.
Try It!
Example 2: Determine the sample size if the variance of the
population is and the standard error of the sample mean is .
Solution:
Therefore, the sample size is .
Let’s Practice!
Individual Practice:
1. The mean of the sampling distribution of the sample mean
is . If the population is normally distributed with a
variance of , determine the mean and standard deviation
of the population.
2. Given a normally distributed population with a variance
of , compute for the sample size if the standard error of
the sample mean is 4.
Let’s Practice!
Group Practice: To be done in groups of three.
Amy plans to buy watermelons in a supermarket. She found
out that the average weight of the watermelons is pounds
with a standard deviation of pounds. What is the mean and
standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the sample
mean with a sample of watermelons?
Key Points
Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean
1 the probability distribution of the sample mean from all possible samples from a
population
Mean of the Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean
2 If a population is normally distributed, then the mean of the sampling distribution
of the sample mean is equal to the population mean.
Key Points
3 Variance of the Sampling Distribution of the
Sample Mean
also called the sampling variability; this shows how the sample mean varies from
sample to sample
4 Standard Deviation of the Sampling Distribution of
the Sample Mean
also called the standard error; this is used to measure the accuracy with which the
sample represents the population
Synthesis
● How do you determine the mean and standard deviation
of the sampling distribution of the sample mean?
● How will you apply the sampling distribution of the sample
mean in your daily life?
● How will you compute for the standard error of the sample
mean if the population variance is not given?
