1. We are given a sample size $n = 15$ and the sum of squares $SS = 196$. We need to find the sample variance $s^2$ and the estimated standard error $s_m$. 2. The formula for the sample variance is: $$ s^2 = \frac{SS}{n-1} $$ Substitute the given values: $$ s^2 = \frac{196}{15 - 1} = \frac{196}{14} = 14 $$ 3. The estimated standard error is the standard deviation divided by the square root of the sample size: $$ s_m = \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}} = \frac{\sqrt{s^2}}{\sqrt{n}} = \sqrt{\frac{s^2}{n}} $$ Substitute the variance and sample size: $$ s_m = \sqrt{\frac{14}{15}} \approx \sqrt{0.9333} \approx 0.97 $$ 4. Therefore, the sample variance is $14$ and the estimated standard error is approximately $0.97$. Final answer: $s^2 = 14$; $s_m = 0.97$.