LOS LIBERTADORES UNIVERSITY INSTITUTION

INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
WORKSHOP ON NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

1. A company that manufactures and bottles apple juice uses a machine that automatically
fills 16-ounce bottles. There is some variation, however, in the amounts of liquid put into the
bottles that are filled. It has been observed that the amount of liquid is normally distributed
approximately with a mean of 16 ounces and a standard deviation of 1 ounce. Determine the
proportion of bottles that will be larger than 17 ounces.
The proportion that defines the number of bottles with more than 17 ounces is:

x−μ 17−16
z= = =1
σ 1

P (z>1.0)=0.1587 or 15.87%

2. It was observed that the weekly amount of money spent by a company over a long period
of time on maintenance and repairs is normally distributed approximately with a mean of $400
and a standard deviation of $20. If $450 is budgeted for next week
What is the probability that actual costs will exceed the budgeted amount?

x−μ 450−400
z= = =2.5
σ 20

P(z>2.5)=0.0062

3. A machining operation produces bearings with diameters that are normally distributed
with a mean of 3.0005 inches and a standard deviation of 0.0010 inches. Specifications require
bearing diameters to be in the range 3.000 ± 0.0020 inches. Bearings outside this range are
considered scrap and must be remachined. With the adjustment of the existing machine
What fraction of the total production will be discarded?

According to the symmetrical nature of the normal distribution function that governs the
diameter of bearing production, we can refer in the first instance to the right sector and calculate
the probability that it indicates the parts that should be discarded by the positive margin of the
optimal range. of the diameter. So:

x−μ 3,0020−3,0005
z= = =1.5
σ 0.0010

P(z>1.5)=0.0668

Now, since the function is symmetric, and the range of optimal diameters is defined on both
sides of the mean, we can say that the fraction of pieces discarded is 2*0.0668= 0.1336
4. The grade point averages (GPAs) of a large population of college students are
approximately normally distributed, with a mean of 2.4 and a standard deviation of 0.8.

a. What fraction of students will achieve a GPA above 3?

x−μ 3−2.4
z= = =0.75
σ 0.8

P(z>0.75)=0.2266

b. If students achieving a GPA less than 1.9 will be suspended from the university, what
percentage of students will be suspended?
Since the normal distribution function is symmetric and the z table is defined for positive z, we
can say that 1.9 on the left is equal to 2.9 on the right of the mean and we will have:

x−μ 2.9−2.4
z= = =0.625
σ 0.8

P (z>0.625)=0.2676/ 26.76%

However, P (z>0.625) would be defined more precisely between 0.2676 and 0.2643, as it is an
average number between 0.62 and 0.63 that is not directly defined in the table.

5. It is specified that cables manufactured for use in a computer system must have
resistances between 0.12 and 0.14 ohms. The actual measured resistances of the cables produced
by Company A have a normal probability distribution with mean of 0.13 ohms and standard
deviation 0.005 ohm.

What is the probability that a randomly selected cable from Company A 's production meets the
specifications?

x−μ 0.14−0.13
z= = =2
σ 0.005

P(z<2)=0.4772

Given the symmetry of the normal distribution function, we have that the total probability that
the specifications for the resistors are satisfied is 2*0.4772= 0.9544, covering the deviations
allowed to the right and to the left of the mean.

6. The width of fabric rolls is normally distributed with a mean of 950 mm (millimeters) and
a standard deviation of 10 mm.
 What is the probability that a randomly selected roll has a width between 947 and 958 mm?
The probability that a selected roll is between 947 and 950 mm is equivalent to the probability
between 950 and 953 due to symmetry conditions in the normal distribution function, like this:

x−μ 953−950
z= = =0.3
σ 10

P(z<0.3) = 0.1179

Now the probability that the selected roll is between 950 and 958 will be:

x−μ 958−950
z= = =0.8
σ 10

P(z<0.8) = 0.2881

Thus, the total probability that the selected roll is in the range 947-958 mm is 0.1179+0.2881=
0.406

7. Test scores are assumed to be normally distributed with a mean of 78 and variance of 36.

Let the variance be 36, the standard deviation will be:

a. What is the probability that a person taking the test will achieve scores greater than 72?
By symmetry, we have that 72 is equivalent to 84 with respect to the mean, therefore:
x−μ 84−78
z= = =1
σ 6

P(z<1) = 0.3413

Now, the total probability would consist of the fraction on the left of the mean plus 0.5
corresponding to the right side of the normal distribution function.

Pt= 0.500+0.3413=0.8413

b. Assume that students who reach the top 10% of this distribution receive a grade of A. What is the
minimum grade a student must receive to earn an A grade?
If a student is in the 10%, his probability fraction should be 0.100, thus we find in the table that
the z closest to 0.100 is 1.28 with 0.1003. With this information we can go back and determine
the minimum grade you should get:
x−μ x−78
z= = =1.28
σ 6
 X= 85.68

8. The SAT and ACT (aptitude and college) admission tests are administered to thousands of
students each year. The mathematics sections of each of these exams produce scores that are
approximately normally distributed. In recent years SAT math test scores have averaged 480
with a standard deviation of 100. The mean and standard deviation for ACT math scores are 18
and 6, respectively.

a. An engineering school sets 550 as the minimum SAT math score for incoming students. What
percentage of students will score below 550 in a typical year?

x−μ 550−480
z= = =0.7
σ 100

b. P(z<0.7) = 0.2580

Since we are looking for the percentage of students who obtain a lower grade, we will have that
this probability is given by 0.2580+0.5000=0.7580/ 75.80%

c. What score should the engineering school set as a comparable standard on the ACT math test?
For a comparable standard, we will have to assume that the percentage of students with
unfavorable admission scores is 75.80%, in this way we will have to assume that the grade that
the engineering school must establish with respect to the ACT system is:

P(z<0.7) = 0.2580

x−μ x−18
z= = =0.7
σ 6

X= 22.2