To All,

I am not sure if Excel functions can solve my questions OR a lack of
knowledge on my part on basic statistics is my hindrance.

We will be deploying some number of electronic widgets (say 20 to 600) to
different sites across the world which will require some type of test on a
sample size to be performed at each site so that we have a confidence level
that all of the widgets deployed at the site will work... We felt that a
sampling would save time, effort and therefore money.

I would like to say something to the effect of, At the Scranton, PA site we
have tested 10 widgets out of 42 which yields us a 95% confidence level
(PLUS OR MINUS X % or a #) that all widgets if tested would work... Can I
use a combination of Excel functions to substantiate this this OR is my
logic flawed as I need more information OR a more qualified statement?

I have partially developed an Excel 2000 spreadsheet that appears to use
most of the Excel statistical functions necessary that would allow me to
input different numbers to establish the minimum number of widgets (OR a
range) to test to achieve some level of confidence that we could extrapolate
to the entire deployment community for that site BUT its not complete? We
have no historical data to base this deployment on therefore either a widget
worked OR didn't worked from our perspective.

In summary, my current format of the worksheet follows although I am not
sure if all of the input OR even output columns are required, so please let
me
know your thoughts... :

Input Columns
A_) Site Name
B_) # of widgets
C_) Alpha / Confidence Level
D_) Standard Deviation -- I think single handedly this is my biggest
problem given my lack of statistical knowledge OR Excel knowledge to
complete
this....

Output Columns
D_) Minimum # of Widgets to be tested
E_) Maximum # of Widgets to be tested
F_) Confidence Interval

Notes:
-- Based on Excel's definition of the Confidence function, used in
Column F2, I inserted .05 in C2 so that I could pass a 95% confidence level.
-- My F2 function was =CONFIDENCE(C2,D2,B2) BUT is incomplete due to a lack
of D2.

I found website http://www.chartwellsystems.com/sscalc.htm
calculators but I was trying to use Excel so I could drive the data...

Any suggestions, code snippets, web references or advice would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks in advance for your consideration of my request.

Regards,

Drew Hollander

email:

Go to http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/...tatistics.html. There
is lots of information there. Hope they can help!

"Drew H" wrote:

To All,

I am not sure if Excel functions can solve my questions OR a lack of
knowledge on my part on basic statistics is my hindrance.

We will be deploying some number of electronic widgets (say 20 to 600) to
different sites across the world which will require some type of test on a
sample size to be performed at each site so that we have a confidence level
that all of the widgets deployed at the site will work... We felt that a
sampling would save time, effort and therefore money.

I would like to say something to the effect of, At the Scranton, PA site we
have tested 10 widgets out of 42 which yields us a 95% confidence level
(PLUS OR MINUS X % or a #) that all widgets if tested would work... Can I
use a combination of Excel functions to substantiate this this OR is my
logic flawed as I need more information OR a more qualified statement?

I have partially developed an Excel 2000 spreadsheet that appears to use
most of the Excel statistical functions necessary that would allow me to
input different numbers to establish the minimum number of widgets (OR a
range) to test to achieve some level of confidence that we could extrapolate
to the entire deployment community for that site BUT its not complete? We
have no historical data to base this deployment on therefore either a widget
worked OR didn't worked from our perspective.

In summary, my current format of the worksheet follows although I am not
sure if all of the input OR even output columns are required, so please let
me
know your thoughts... :

Input Columns
A_) Site Name
B_) # of widgets
C_) Alpha / Confidence Level
D_) Standard Deviation -- I think single handedly this is my biggest
problem given my lack of statistical knowledge OR Excel knowledge to
complete
this....

Output Columns
D_) Minimum # of Widgets to be tested
E_) Maximum # of Widgets to be tested
F_) Confidence Interval

Notes:
-- Based on Excel's definition of the Confidence function, used in
Column F2, I inserted .05 in C2 so that I could pass a 95% confidence level.
-- My F2 function was =CONFIDENCE(C2,D2,B2) BUT is incomplete due to a lack
of D2.

I found website http://www.chartwellsystems.com/sscalc.htm
calculators but I was trying to use Excel so I could drive the data...

Any suggestions, code snippets, web references or advice would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks in advance for your consideration of my request.

Regards,

Drew Hollander

email:

Thanks.... There might be alot of information there BUT nothing on Excel
that I could find and nothing updated in the last few months...

Any other thoughts OR suggestions?


"ruralkansas" wrote in message
...
Go to http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/...tatistics.html.
There
is lots of information there. Hope they can help!

"Drew H" wrote:

To All,

I am not sure if Excel functions can solve my questions OR a lack of
knowledge on my part on basic statistics is my hindrance.

We will be deploying some number of electronic widgets (say 20 to 600)
to
different sites across the world which will require some type of test on
a
sample size to be performed at each site so that we have a confidence
level
that all of the widgets deployed at the site will work... We felt that a
sampling would save time, effort and therefore money.

I would like to say something to the effect of, At the Scranton, PA site
we
have tested 10 widgets out of 42 which yields us a 95% confidence level
(PLUS OR MINUS X % or a #) that all widgets if tested would work... Can
I
use a combination of Excel functions to substantiate this this OR is my
logic flawed as I need more information OR a more qualified statement?

I have partially developed an Excel 2000 spreadsheet that appears to use
most of the Excel statistical functions necessary that would allow me to
input different numbers to establish the minimum number of widgets (OR a
range) to test to achieve some level of confidence that we could
extrapolate
to the entire deployment community for that site BUT its not complete?
We
have no historical data to base this deployment on therefore either a
widget
worked OR didn't worked from our perspective.

In summary, my current format of the worksheet follows although I am not
sure if all of the input OR even output columns are required, so please
let
me
know your thoughts... :

Input Columns
A_) Site Name
B_) # of widgets
C_) Alpha / Confidence Level
D_) Standard Deviation -- I think single handedly this is my biggest
problem given my lack of statistical knowledge OR Excel knowledge to
complete
this....

Output Columns
D_) Minimum # of Widgets to be tested
E_) Maximum # of Widgets to be tested
F_) Confidence Interval

Notes:
-- Based on Excel's definition of the Confidence function, used in
Column F2, I inserted .05 in C2 so that I could pass a 95% confidence
level.
-- My F2 function was =CONFIDENCE(C2,D2,B2) BUT is incomplete due to a
lack
of D2.

I found website http://www.chartwellsystems.com/sscalc.htm
calculators but I was trying to use Excel so I could drive the data...

Any suggestions, code snippets, web references or advice would be
greatly
appreciated. Thanks in advance for your consideration of my request.

Regards,

Drew Hollander

email:

Doubtful if the area of statistics has moved on much "in the last few
months"

--
Bernard Liengme
www.stfx.ca/people/bliengme
remove CAPS in email address


"Drew H" wrote in message
...
Thanks.... There might be alot of information there BUT nothing on Excel
that I could find and nothing updated in the last few months...

Any other thoughts OR suggestions?


"ruralkansas" wrote in message
...
Go to http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/...tatistics.html.
There
is lots of information there. Hope they can help!

"Drew H" wrote:

To All,

I am not sure if Excel functions can solve my questions OR a lack of
knowledge on my part on basic statistics is my hindrance.

We will be deploying some number of electronic widgets (say 20 to 600)
to
different sites across the world which will require some type of test
on
a
sample size to be performed at each site so that we have a confidence
level
that all of the widgets deployed at the site will work... We felt that
a
sampling would save time, effort and therefore money.

I would like to say something to the effect of, At the Scranton, PA
site
we
have tested 10 widgets out of 42 which yields us a 95% confidence level
(PLUS OR MINUS X % or a #) that all widgets if tested would work... Can
I
use a combination of Excel functions to substantiate this this OR is my
logic flawed as I need more information OR a more qualified statement?

I have partially developed an Excel 2000 spreadsheet that appears to
use
most of the Excel statistical functions necessary that would allow me
to
input different numbers to establish the minimum number of widgets (OR
a
range) to test to achieve some level of confidence that we could
extrapolate
to the entire deployment community for that site BUT its not complete?
We
have no historical data to base this deployment on therefore either a
widget
worked OR didn't worked from our perspective.

In summary, my current format of the worksheet follows although I am
not
sure if all of the input OR even output columns are required, so please
let
me
know your thoughts... :

Input Columns
A_) Site Name
B_) # of widgets
C_) Alpha / Confidence Level
D_) Standard Deviation -- I think single handedly this is my biggest
problem given my lack of statistical knowledge OR Excel knowledge to
complete
this....

Output Columns
D_) Minimum # of Widgets to be tested
E_) Maximum # of Widgets to be tested
F_) Confidence Interval

Notes:
-- Based on Excel's definition of the Confidence function, used in
Column F2, I inserted .05 in C2 so that I could pass a 95% confidence
level.
-- My F2 function was =CONFIDENCE(C2,D2,B2) BUT is incomplete due to a
lack
of D2.

I found website http://www.chartwellsystems.com/sscalc.htm
calculators but I was trying to use Excel so I could drive the data...

Any suggestions, code snippets, web references or advice would be
greatly
appreciated. Thanks in advance for your consideration of my request.

Regards,

Drew Hollander

email: