Calculating The Mean Average
The formula to work out sample sizes for means are useful in many instances. There are several versions of the formula needed to cover one-sample and two-sample tests, one-tailed and two-tailed comparisons, and whether the standard deviation is known or needs to be estimated. In this article, the formula for each situation is given, along with the Microsoft Excel function that performs the calculations. Another article at this site shows the Excel sample size formula for proportions tests. A free sample size calculator is being developed, as logged at blogger.com
Sample Size Formula For Means: Terms Used and Applications
α = Level of acceptability of a false positive result (0.05 is typical)
β = Level of acceptability of a false negative result (0.10 is typical)
σ = Known standard deviation

