For the Following Issue, Discuss Which Source You'd Trust More

question 97

Essay

For the following issue, discuss which source you'd trust more, and give at least one reason why. You may want to add to or otherwise modify our list of sources. And do keep in mind that we are glad our livelihoods do not depend on a general consensus on our rankings.
Issue: Whether a recently completed nuclear power plant is safe.
a. the power company that owns the plant
b. the contractor in charge of the plant's construction
c. a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Agency
d. the president of the Sierra Club
e. a contractor hired by a nearby city who has seen the blueprints of the plant but has not made an on-site inspection
f. the author of a statistical study on safety, malfunctions, and accidents at power plants of the same type

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Definitions:

Control Chart

A graph used in process control to study how a process changes over time, displaying data in time order to detect any signs of significant variation.

Control Limits

Statistical boundaries in processes control that identify the extent of allowable variation before corrective actions are taken.

Control Limits

Statistical boundaries in process control used to determine if a process is operating within expected norms.

Sample Size

The number of observations or data points collected in a statistical study, which impacts the study's reliability and the precision of its estimates.