Step 1 :The problem is asking for the sample size necessary to estimate the mean IQ score with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5 IQ points. The standard deviation is given as 25.
Step 2 :We can use the formula for the sample size in a confidence interval estimation, which is: \(n = (Z*σ/E)^2\) where: n is the sample size, Z is the Z-score (which corresponds to the desired confidence level, in this case 95%), σ is the standard deviation (25 in this case), E is the margin of error (5 in this case).
Step 3 :The Z-score for a 95% confidence level is approximately 1.96. We can plug these values into the formula and solve for n.
Step 4 :After calculating the sample size, we need to round up to the nearest integer because we can't have a fraction of a person.
Step 5 :The calculated required sample size is 97. This means that we would need to sample 97 students to estimate the mean IQ score with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5 IQ points.
Step 6 :Now we need to determine if this sample size is reasonable. Given that this is a fairly large number, it may not be feasible to collect that many samples, especially if the population of statistics students is small. However, if the population is large, this sample size may be reasonable.
Step 7 :Final Answer: The required sample size is \(\boxed{97}\). This number of IQ test scores is a fairly large number.