There are a total of 1,800 students at the high school. Based on the data in the table, what is the best estimate for t…

To estimate the total number of students at the school who prefer text messages, we first find the proportion of students in the sample who prefer text messages. According to the table, 81 out of the 120 students surveyed prefer text messages. This proportion is 81/120. We can then apply this proportion to the total student population of 1,800.

(81 / 120) · 1,800 = x

First, we can simplify the fraction 81/120. Both numbers are divisible by 3, giving 27/40.

(27 / 40) · 1,800 = x

Now, we can perform the multiplication:

x = 27(1,800 / 40)

x = 27 · 45

x = 1,215

Therefore, the best estimate is 1,215 students.

A is incorrect. This is the estimated number of students who prefer email, found by incorrectly using the total for email (39) instead of text messages: (39/120) · 1800 = 585.

B is incorrect. This is the estimated number of seniors who prefer text messages if the rate for that subgroup is applied to the whole school, found by using the value for seniors who prefer texts (45) instead of the total for text messages: (45/120) · 1800 = 675.

D is incorrect. This is the result of finding the proportion of seniors who prefer text messages relative to the total number of seniors (45/60) and then incorrectly applying this proportion to the entire school population: (45/60) · 1800 = 1350.