6. Normal Distribution and Continuous Random Variables

Eye Color Based on a study by Dr. P. Sorita at Indiana University, assume that 12% of us have green eyes. In a study of 650 people, it is found that 86 of them have green eyes.

b. Is 86 people with green eyes significantly high?

For a standard normal distribution, which of the following variables always equals $0$?

Which of the following best describes a key difference between the $t$-distribution and the standard normal ($z$) distribution?

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.

a. x̄ = 17, s = 2.3, median = 19

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

c. μ = 5.5, σ ≈ 0.08, P(5.36 < x < 5.64)

In Exercises 25–28, use these parameters (based on Data Set 1 “Body Data” in Appendix B):

Men’s heights are normally distributed with mean 68.6 in. and standard deviation 2.8 in.

Women’s heights are normally distributed with mean 63.7 in. and standard deviation 2.9 in.

Snow White Disney World requires that women employed as a Snow White character must have a height between 64 in. and 67 in.

a. Find the percentage of women meeting the height requirement.

Car Colors

In Exercises 9–12, assume that 100 cars are randomly selected. Refer to the accompanying graph, which shows the top car colors and the percentages of cars with those colors (based on PPG Industries).

Black Cars Find the probability that at least 25 cars are black. Is 25 a significantly high number of black cars?

Tennis Replay In a recent year, there were 879 challenges made to referee calls in professional tennis singles play. Among those challenges, 231 challenges were upheld with the call overturned. Assume that in general, 25% of the challenges are successfully upheld with the call overturned.

a. If the 25% rate is correct, find the probability that among the 879 challenges, the number of overturned calls is exactly 231.

Mensa Membership in Mensa requires a score in the top 2% on a standard intelligence test. The Wechsler IQ test is designed for a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, and scores are normally distributed.

b. If 4 randomly selected adults take the Wechsler IQ test, find the probability that their mean score is at least 131.

Assume the machine shifts and the distribution of the amount of the compound added now has a mean of 9.96 milligrams and a standard deviation of 0.05 milligram. You select one vial and determine how much of the compound was added.

a. What is the probability that you select a vial that is within the acceptable range (in other words, you do not detect that the machine has shifted)? (See figure.)

Using the Central Limit Theorem. In Exercises 5–8, assume that the amounts of weight that male college students gain during their freshman year are normally distributed with a mean of 1.2 kg and a standard deviation of 4.9 kg (based on Data Set 13 “Freshman 15” in Appendix B).

a. If 1 male college student is randomly selected, find the probability that he gains between 0 kg and 3 kg during freshman year.

Draw two normal curves that have the same mean but different standard deviations. Describe the similarities and differences.

Watching Television The amount of time Americans spend watching television is closely monitored by firms such as AC Nielsen because this helps determine advertising pricing for commercials.

a. Do you think the variable “weekly time spent watching television” would be normally distributed? If not, what shape would you expect the variable to have?

Graphical Analysis In Exercises 11–16, determine whether the graph could represent a variable with a normal distribution. Explain your reasoning. If the graph appears to represent a normal distribution, estimate the mean and standard deviation.

Ice Cream The weights of ice cream cartons are normally distributed with a mean weight of 10 ounces and a standard deviation of 0.5 ounce.

a. What is the probability that a randomly selected carton has a weight greater than 10.21 ounces?