RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A quality control inspector must verify whether a machine that packages snack foods is working correctly. The inspector will randomly select a sample of packages and weigh the amount of snack food in each. Assume that the weights of food in packages filled by the machine have a standard deviation of 0.30 ounce. An estimate of the mean amount of snack food in each package must be reported with 99.6 percent confidence and a margin of error of no more than 0.12 ounce. What would be the minimum sample size for the number of packages the inspector must select?