Chapter 6: Problem 21
Scores on a common final exam in a large enrollment, multiple-section freshman course are normally distributed with mean 72.7 and standard deviation \(13.1 .\) a. Find the probability that the score \(X\) on a randomly selected exam paper is between 70 and 80 . b. Find the probability that the mean score \(x-\) of 38 randomly selected exam papers is between 70 and 80 .
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Understanding the Problem
Calculating Z-Scores for Part (a)
Finding Probability for Part (a)
Calculating Standard Error for Part (b)
Calculating Z-Scores for Part (b)
Finding Probability for Part (b)
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
z-scores
To calculate a Z-score, you use the formula \( Z = \frac{X - \mu}{\sigma} \) where \( X \) is the value in question, \( \mu \) is the mean, and \( \sigma \) is the standard deviation. By converting values into Z-scores, we can use standard normal distribution tables to find probabilities associated with those scores more easily.
- Example: If the mean score of an exam is 72.7 with a standard deviation of 13.1, and you want to know how a score of 70 compares, you calculate the Z-score as \( Z = \frac{70 - 72.7}{13.1} \approx -0.206 \).
- Positive Z-scores indicate values above the mean, while negative Z-scores indicate values below the mean. A Z-score of zero represents a value exactly at the mean.
standard deviation
The standard deviation is crucial in calculating Z-scores and involves every data point in the dataset. For a normally distributed dataset, approximately 68% of the data will fall within one standard deviation of the mean. This coverage increases to about 95% within two standard deviations, and about 99.7% within three standard deviations.
- Calculating the Standard Deviation: The formula used is \( \sigma = \sqrt{\frac{1}{N}\sum_{i=1}^{N}(X_i - \mu)^2} \), where \( N \) is the number of data points, \( X_i \) is each value, and \( \mu \) is the mean.
- Understanding standard deviation is essential for evaluating how likely a specific outcome is if the data follows a normal distribution.
standard error of the mean
To calculate the SEM, use the formula \( SE = \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}} \), where \( \sigma \) is the standard deviation of the population and \( n \) is the sample size. As the sample size increases, the standard error decreases, meaning the sample mean becomes more accurate.
- Importance of SEM: It is crucial when conducting surveys and experiments because it helps in understanding how much uncertainty there is in the sample mean.
- Example: If the standard deviation of exam scores is 13.1 and you have taken a sample of 38 exams, the SEM would be \( \frac{13.1}{\sqrt{38}} \approx 2.125 \).