The following data are the heights of fathers and their sons ininches. The father's height is his height when he was the same ageas the son.
Father's Height | Son's Height |
| 44 | 44 |
| 47 | 47 |
| 43 | 46 |
| 41 | 42 |
| 45 | 47 |
| 44 | 44 |
| 44 | 45 |
| 44 | 45 |
a. A geneticist might wonder if there is a tendency for tallfathers to have tall sons and short fathers to have short sons.Answer this question by computing the appropriate statistic andtesting it for statistical significance. (Hint: The statistic willbe much easier to compute if you subtract 40 from each of thescores. Doing so will not affect the value of the statistic.)
b. Can you use the height of a father to predict the height of hisson? Compute the regression equation for predicting sons’ heightsfrom fathers’ heights. Use this equation to predict the height of ason whose father is 46 inches tall.
c. If you had a father who had a height of 25\" when he was the sameage as his son, should you use the regression equation to predictthe son’s height? Why or why not?
d. An environmentalist might wonder if there is a tendency forgenerations to get taller. Are sons taller than their fathers wereat the same age? What statistical test would be most appropriatefor answering this question. (Hint: You will needto recall some previous lessons to get this one correct.)
