Math 153-, DB1 Name: ________________________________

11/05

Project Extra Credit 3) 10 points Due: Wednesday, 12/7/05 (or at the latest Friday, 12/9/05).

1. Read the article, “Questionnaire survey on use of placebo”, British Medical Journal, September 17, 2004, vol. 329, pp. 944-946 and answer the following questions. You may obtain it from the following site. You can obtain a print-out using a CCBC computer.

Reading List for Math153

www.ccbcmd.edu Libraries ( on the right) CCBC Essex library (on the left) Class related help Janice Dykacz Math153

OR go to the British Medical Journal site www.bmj.com past issues

Note: A placebo, in this case, is a pill, which looks and tastes like the drug, but which does not contain the drug.

It is sometimes called a “sugar pill.”

2. Verify the 95% confidence interval of 49% to 70% mentioned in Abstract: Results on p.444.

n= ______________ n = number of health care workers responding to the survey.

x = ______________ x = number who said they used placebos, ie. gave patients placebos.

Write down the formula used or explain in detail how you used the calculator to get the 95% confidence interval.

3. What was the response rate in this survey? _____________ (the percent of health care workers who agreed to participate in the survey out of those contacted).

4. There is a mistake in the following sentence on p. 944 under “Statistical methods.” “P 5 was considered significant.” How should the sentence be written?