Twenty-one independent measurements were taken of the hardness (on the Rockwell C scale) of HSLA-100 steel base metal, and another 21 independent measurements were made of the hardness of a weld...

Twenty-one independent measurements were taken of the hardness (on the Rockwell C scale) of HSLA-100 steel base metal, and another 21 independent measurements were made of the hardness of a weld produced on this base metal. The standard deviation of the measurements made on the base metal was 3.06, and the standard deviation of the measurements made on the weld was 1.41. Assume that the measurements are independent random samples from normal populations. Can you conclude that measurements made on the base metal are more variable than measurements made on the weld?