Final answer:
To achieve a 95% confidence level with a margin of error of 0.04 for an unknown population proportion, a sample size of 601 is required after rounding up to the nearest whole number.
Step-by-step explanation:
When calculating the sample size required to estimate a population proportion with a specified margin of error, we can use the following formula for the sample size (n):
n = (Z^2 * p*(1 - p*)) / E^2,
where Z is the z-score corresponding to the desired confidence level, p* is the estimated population proportion, and E is the margin of error.
In this case, since we do not have prior data to estimate the population proportion, we use p* = 0.5 for the most conservative sample size calculation, because 0.5 maximizes the product p*(1 - p*). For a 95% confidence interval, the z-score is approximately 1.96. The desired margin of error E is 0.04.
Substituting these values into the formula:
n = (1.96^2 * 0.5 * (1 - 0.5)) / 0.04^2,
n = (3.8416 * 0.25) / 0.0016,
n = 0.9604 / 0.0016,
n = 600.25.
Therefore, after rounding up to the nearest whole number, the minimum sample size required is 601.