Which Brand of Popcorn Leaves Fewer Kernels Unpopped?

Which brand of popcorn leaves fewer kernels unpopped?

Jenny Lehr and Kim Fiorenzo

Introduction and Description

We were interested in what percent of kernels are left unpopped after popping a bag of popcorn in a microwave. Popcorn is a very popular snack and is commonly eaten while watching movies. Many households in America consume popcorn on a regular basis. We were interested in which brands of popcorn leave the least amount of popcorn kernels unpopped. To test this, we completed an experimental study. We bought one box of Wegmans popcorn and one box of Orville Redenbacher popcorn, randomly selected five bags, popped each bag in the same microwave for the same amount of time, and counted the number of unpopped and popped kernels. The results from this test will determine which brand of popcorn produces a lesser percent of kernels unpopped. These results can be applied to popcorn purchased at Wegmans on West 26th street.

Prediction

Our purpose was to conclude which brand of popcorn left less kernels unpopped in each bag. We predicted that the Orville Redenbacher brand would produce a lesser percent of unpopped kernels per bag.

Sampling Method

We used a random sample to perform our test. We went to Wegmans and selected one box of six 3.3 oz bags of Orville Redenbacher and Wegmans brand popcorn. Although we did not randomly select the boxes of popcorn at Wegmans, we randomly selected five of the six bags using Random Int (1,6) on our calculator. Not randomizing the boxes at Wegmans is a caution in our experiment.

Calculations

µ1= Orville Redenbaucher

µ2= Wegmans Brand

n1= 5

n2= 5

Confidence Interval= (-12.55, -.6883)

Conditions

1.SRS – met with a small caution (see sampling method)

2.Independence – met - we compared two brands of popcorn that are produced in separate factories which makes them independent of each other

3. 10% Condition – met – we only used five bags from each of the two brands, 5 bags is definitely under 10 % of the popcorn population

4. Nearly Normal Condition – sight caution - the graph below is not quite normal it is a little skewed to the right and first bar on the left is a little bit too high.

Conclusion

Hypothesis Test Conclusion:

Assuming there is no difference in the percent of kernels left after popping between Wegmans and Orville Redenbacher brand, the probability of getting a sample as or more extreme as ours is approximately 1.65%. This is strong evidence that the Orville Redenbacher brand of popcorn leaves less kernels unpopped.

Confidence Interval Conclusion:

Using these methods, 95% of samples will produce an interval that contains the true difference between the percent of unpopped kernels for Wegmans and Orville Redenbacher brand.

Possible Improvements:

To improve our experiment, we could take more samples of Orville Redenbacher and Wegmans. We could also compare more than 2 brands of popcorn to find which brand truly leaves the least amount of kernels unpopped.

Overall Conclusion:

Through this experiment, we discovered that Orville Redennbacher popcorn produces a smaller percent of unpopped kernels in a 3.3 oz bag compared to Wegmans brand.