A Columnist for the LA Times Is Working to Meet

question 34

Essay

A columnist for the LA Times is working to meet a deadline on a story about commuting in Los Angeles. She wants to include information about the current price of gasoline in the Los Angeles metro area, but her source person for this type of information has already gone home for the day. So she decides to take her own sample as she drives home, writing down the prices she observes as she makes her way from downtown to her neighborhood in the suburbs. Below is the data sample she obtains (units are $/gallon).
-(A) Do you think she has obtained a true random sample?
​
(B) What average price could she report, based on the above sample?
​
(C) What average price range could she report, based on the above sample?
​
(D) Do you see any issues with reporting the range calculated for (C)?

---

Definitions:

Nod Factors

Signaling molecules produced by rhizobial bacteria that play a crucial role in the establishment of symbiosis with leguminous plants, leading to the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules.

Lichens

Lichens are symbiotic associations between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, typically an algae or a cyanobacterium, living together in a mutualistic relationship.

Photosynthetic Roots

roots of certain plants that are capable of photosynthesis, an adaptation seen often in aquatic plant species.

Orchids

A diverse and widespread family of flowering plants with complex, often colorful and fragrant flowers.