Question

A study of fast-food intake is described in the paper "What People Buy From Fast-Food Restaurants" (Obesity [2009]: \(1369-1374\) ). Adult customers at three hamburger chains (McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's) at lunchtime in New York City were approached as they entered the restaurant and were asked to provide their receipt when exiting. The receipts were then used to determine what was purchased and the number of calories consumed. The sample mean number of calories consumed was \(857,\) and the sample standard deviation was 677 . This information was used to learn about the mean number of calories consumed in a New York fast-food lunch.

Short answer

The exercise presents a statistical study on the average number of calories consumed by adult customers at lunchtime in fast-food restaurants in New York. The data set represents a sample with a sample mean of 857 and a standard deviation of 677.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the problem statement

This problem involves a sample of adult customers from three hamburger chains and their average calorie intake. The average calorie intake, or the sample mean, is given as 857 and the sample standard deviation is given as 677.

Understand the significance of the parameters

The mean is the average of the data set and the standard deviation gives us the dispersion or variability of the data from the mean.

Comprehending the data

The data provided is from a sample, not the entire population. A sample is a subset of the population. The researcher used the data from the sample to gain insights (inference) about the population.