School's out and now I want a Cuttlebug, but first, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I completed my final exam Saturday morning. There was one question I mulled over for at least 30 minutes or more?! I just couldn't remember the whole formula and I finally gave up. I feel very confident that I did well with all the other questions.

When I left the class room I pulled out my notebook and looked over my lecture notes regarding the formula I couldn't remember. I was so close! This is what I couldn't remember:

90% confidence interval = [- 1.645/n, + 1.645/n].

In English:

X bar (that's the x with the line over the top it) = point estimate.

Standard Deviation is the letter that looks like an o with a little tail on it.

Square root is just that, the square root of "n". n = sample size.

90% interval = 1.645

The margin of error is: 1.645 times the standard deviation divided by the square root of n.

Read out loud, the formula reads as:

X bar minus 1.645 times the standard deviation divided by the square root of n to X bar plus 1.645 times the standard deviation divided by the square root of n. That's the "interval part." So a final answer would be something like: "A 90% confidence interval is calculated to be 18.8 to 48.0 months."

Good times. I remembered the 1.645 and that I needed to do something with that number, but the "what to do with it" eluded me! I knew the sample size and the point estimate, but putting it all together was beyond my abilities that morning.

I'm not too upset with myself for not remember this, as I only need a 70% or higher test score to earn a final grade of an A, and I'm pretty sure I did.


School's out for the summer and now I'm going to enjoy myself! I think there will be some card-making in my future. There's a new toy I really, really want: a Cuttlebug. Once I have my final grade in hand I'll check with the hubby regarding our finances and see if I may reward my schooling efforts with a cute little Cuttlebug. It does dry embossing and die-cuts. It uses its own brand of die-cuts as well as those of other manufactures. It has a five star rating. My friend at work LOVES her little Cuttlebug. I've been eyeing it for sometime now, but wanted to wait until I completed my Statistics class.

Unfortunately I'm not a very patient person and Joann's has my new little buddy on sale, RIGHT NOW! Oh the agony of having to wait for my final grade. But, I've made it this long without it, what's another couple of weeks of waiting? Hell, that's what it is.

Oh well, such is life. At least the hubby is feeling much better. In fact, he wants to go see the "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". We spent all of Saturday afternoon (before his violent vomiting began) watching the first three Indiana Jones movies. I'm looking just as forward to this next installment as he is. Should be fun, Indy usually doesn't disappoint. I just hope the hubby's really up to it. It won't be much fun for him if he has to dash off to the men's room!