College

A normal distribution is observed from the body weights of the forty students in a class. If the mean is 125 pounds and the standard deviation is 9 pounds, what is the probability that a randomly selected student has a body weight between 116 and 134 pounds? Use the empirical rule.

Answer :

Therefore, using the empirical rule, the probability is about 68%.

To estimate the probability that a randomly selected student has a body weight between 116 and 134 pounds using the empirical rule (also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule), follow these steps:

1. Identify the Mean and Standard Deviation:

Mean [tex](\(\mu\))[/tex] = 125 pounds

Standard Deviation [tex](\(\sigma\))[/tex] = 9 pounds

2. Determine the Number of Standard Deviations from the Mean for Each Bound:

For 116 pounds:

[tex]\[ \frac{116 - 125}{9} = \frac{-9}{9} = -1 \][/tex]

So, 116 pounds is 1 standard deviation below the mean.

For 134 pounds:

[tex]\[ \frac{134 - 125}{9} = \frac{9}{9} = 1 \][/tex]

So, 134 pounds is 1 standard deviation above the mean.

3. Apply the Empirical Rule:

The empirical rule states that:

Approximately 68% of the data falls within 1 standard deviation of the mean.

Approximately 95% falls within 2 standard deviations.

Approximately 99.7% falls within 3 standard deviations.

Since 116 and 134 pounds are both within 1 standard deviation of the mean, the probability that a randomly selected student has a body weight between 116 and 134 pounds is approximately 68%.

Complete question is shown below.

A normal distribution is observed from the body weights of the forty students in a class. If the mean is 125 pounds and the standard deviation is 9 pounds, what is the probability that a randomly selected student has a body weight between 116 and 134 pounds? Use the empirical rule.

Using the empirical rule, there's a 68% probability that a randomly selected student has a body weight between 116 and 134 pounds, given a mean of 125 pounds and a standard deviation of 9 pounds.

To answer this question, we will use the empirical rule. The empirical rule states that for a normal distribution:

  • 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean,
  • 95% of the data falls within two standard deviations of the mean, and
  • 99.7% of the data falls within three standard deviations of the mean.

Given:
Mean (
): 125 pounds
Standard deviation (
x): 9 pounds

The range from 116 to 134 pounds is within one standard deviation of the mean (125 - 9 = 116 and 125 + 9 = 134).

So, according to the empirical rule, the probability that a randomly selected student has a body weight between 116 and 134 pounds is approximately 68%.