Biology and Environmental Science

Piers on public beaches are usually supported by widely spread piles or pillars and can extend a thousand feet into the ocean. Many piers are extensions of boardwalks, and visitors frequently fish or simply sightsee along these walkways. Longer piers tend to be more susceptible to wind and storm damage. Independent random samples of concrete and wooden piers on public beaches along the California and Florida coasts were obtained and the length (in feet) of each was recorded.

Assume the underlying populations are normal, with equal variances. Is there any evidence to suggest that the population mean pier length in California is greater than the population mean pier length in Florida? Use a = 0.01.