1. An athletic company has seen declining sales of its weight lifting gloves. Company executives feel that a competing company has a glove that lasts longer and hence gyms and stores are selling more of the competitors' product. To regain its market share, it has developed a newer material that it believes will outlast its current product. You have been called in to advise the executives in setting up and carrying out an appropriate study to determine if gloves made of the new fabric last longer than gloves made with the fabric currently in use.

(a) There are 84 men and 56 women who are willing to participate in this study. Design an experiment that the company could use to determine if the new gloves last longer.

(b) Is there a way to make this study double-blind? Justify your answer.