Answer :
Final answer:
The 99.7% range of annual precipitation for the city, calculated using the 68-95-99.7 rule, is between 61.5 inches and 82.5 inches.
Explanation:
Applying the 68-95-99.7 rule (also known as the empirical rule) to the question of annual precipitation, we can determine the range of precipitation levels that cover 99.7% of the years. This rule states that for a normally distributed set of data, 99.7% of the values lie within three standard deviations from the mean. In this case, the mean annual precipitation is 72 inches, and the standard deviation is 3.5 inches.
To find the range, we calculate 72 - (3 x 3.5) and 72 + (3 x 3.5). So, 72 - 10.5 = 61.5 inches and 72 + 10.5 = 82.5 inches. Therefore, in 99.7% of the years, the precipitation in this city is between 61.5 inches and 82.5 inches.