6. Normal Distribution and Continuous Random Variables

Interpreting Normal Quantile Plots Which of the following normal quantile plots appear to represent data from a population having a normal distribution? Explain.

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Water Taxi Safety When a water taxi sank in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, an investigation revealed that the safe passenger load for the water taxi was 3500 lb. It was also noted that the mean weight of a passenger was assumed to be 140 lb. Assume a “worst-case” scenario in which all of the passengers are adult men. Assume that weights of men are normally distributed with a mean of 188.6 lb and a standard deviation of 38.9 lb (based on Data Set 1 “Body Data” in Appendix B).

a. If one man is randomly selected, find the probability that he weighs less than 174 lb (the new value suggested by the National Transportation and Safety Board).

Determine whether any of the events in Exercise 33 are unusual. Explain your reasoning.

The random variable x is normally distributed with the given parameters. Find each probability.

d. μ = 18.5, σ ≈ 4.25, P(19.6 < x < 26.1)

Using and Interpreting Concepts

Finding Area In Exercises 17–22, find the area of the shaded region under the standard normal curve. If convenient, use technology to find the area.

In Problems 5–12, find the indicated areas. For each problem, be sure to draw a standard normal curve and shade the area that is to be found.

Determine the area under the standard normal curve that lies to the left of

b. z = –0.43

Notation Common tests such as the SAT, ACT, LSAT, and MCAT tests use multiple choice test questions, each with possible answers of a, b, c, d, e, and each question has only one correct answer. For people who make random guesses for answers to a block of 100 questions, identify the values of p, q, μ, and σ. What do μ and σ measure?

Transformations The heights (in inches) of women listed in Data Set 1 “Body Data” in Appendix B have a distribution that is approximately normal, so it appears that those heights are from a normally distributed population.

a. If 2 inches is added to each height, are the new heights also normally distributed?

Birth Weights Based on Data Set 6 “Births” in Appendix B, birth weights of girls are normally distributed with a mean of 3037.1 g and a standard deviation of 706.3 g.

b. What is the value of the median?

Find the area under the standard normal distribution to the left of a z-score of $1.21$.

Foot Lengths of Women Assume that foot lengths of adult females are normally distributed with a mean of 246.3 mm and a standard deviation of 12.4 mm (based on Data Set 3 “ANSUR II 2012” in Appendix B).

c. Find P95.

Pearson’s Index of Skewness The English statistician Karl Pearson (1857–1936) introduced a formula for the skewness of a distribution.

P = 3 (x̄ - median) / s

Most distributions have an index of skewness between -3 and 3. When P > 0, the data are skewed right. When P < 0, the data are skewed left. When P = 0, the data are symmetric. Calculate the coefficient of skewness for each distribution. Describe the shape of each.

c. x̄ = 9.2, s = 1.8, median = 9.2

In Exercises 69 and 70, determine whether you can use a normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution. If you can, use the normal distribution to approximate the indicated probabilities and sketch their graphs. If you cannot, explain why and use a binomial distribution to find the indicated probabilities.

A survey of U.S. adults found that 72% used a mobile device to manage their bank account at least once in the previous month. You randomly select 70 U.S. adults and ask whether they used a mobile device to manage their bank account at least once in the previous month. Find the probability that the number who have done so is (a) at most 40.

In Exercises 61 and 62, a binomial experiment is given. Determine whether you can use a normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution. If you can, find the mean and standard deviation. If you cannot, explain why.

A survey of U.S. adults ages 33 to 40 earning more than \$150,000 per year found that 94% are content with how their lives have turned out so far. You randomly select 20 U.S. adults ages 33 to 40 earning more than \$150,000 and ask if they are content with their lives so far.

Seat Designs. In Exercises 7–9, assume that when seated, adult males have back-to-knee lengths that are normally distributed with a mean of 23.5 in. and a standard deviation of 1.1 in. (based on anthropometric survey data from Gordon, Churchill, et al.). These data are used often in the design of different seats, including aircraft seats, train seats, theater seats, and classroom seats.

Find the probability that a male has a back-to-knee length greater than 25.0 in.