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ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/iii/paper-35/2/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 35 2 d Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A fixed-effect meta-analysis assigns inverse-variance weights. Using the unrounded within-study variance from part (b), this trial has , so its percentage weight isUsing the printed rounded standard error of instead gives approximately ; the raw cell calculation yields the more precise answer.
For a random-effects meta-analysis, the corresponding weight and percentage weight areWith , its unnormalised weight is . The supplied sums of fixed-effect weights do not determine the denominator of the random-effects percentage; the individual are needed. Positive heterogeneity makes the weight distribution more even. Percentage weight measures the trial's contribution to a pooled mean with fixed weights; total influence can also involve re-estimation of heterogeneity.
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