Lesson 6

Applying the Normal

Curve Concepts in
Problem Solving
Lesson Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you are able to:

1. apply the normal curve in solving word
problems; and
2. develop habits or reasoning using the
normal curve concepts.
Modify the formula to solve for X.
𝑿−𝝁
𝒛=
𝝈
Using the computing formula for z, find the value of X
in each of the following.

1. 𝝁 = 𝟕𝟎, 𝝈 = 𝟏𝟎, 𝒛 = 𝟏. 𝟓
2. 𝝁 = 𝟔𝟖, 𝝈 = 𝟒, 𝒛 = 𝟏. 𝟐
3. 𝝁 = 𝟓𝟑, 𝝈 = 𝟔, 𝒛 = −𝟏. 𝟓
4. 𝝁 = 𝟓𝟎, 𝝈 = 𝟖, 𝒛 = 𝟐. 𝟒
5. 𝝁 = 𝟖𝟔, 𝝈 = 𝟏𝟓, 𝒛 = 𝟏. 𝟔
Understanding Test Results
Example 1. The results of a nationwide aptitude test in
mathematics are normally distributed with m = 80 and s = 15.
Find the raw score such that 70% of the cases are below it.
Analysis Questions:
1. What are given?
2. What are you going to find?
3. What is suggested by the given to help you solve the
problem?
4. Will the application of the normal curve concepts be
useful?
The problem involves a normal distribution. So, we can apply
the normal curve concepts to solve the problem. The
expression 70% implies that we are given the area and that
we are looking for a raw score. We can find this by
determining first the corresponding z-scores from the Table
of Areas Under the Normal Curve. If 70% of the cases lie
below the raw score, then 30% of the cases are above it. You
can choose which probability to deal with. In this example,
30% is selected.
 STEPS SOLUTION
1. Sketch the diagram of a normal curve.
2. Selecting 30%, express this as area. This is the 30% is the same as 0.3000
area to the right of the z -value we want to
locate.
3. Find the area between z = 0 and 0.2000 𝟎. 𝟓𝟎𝟎𝟎 − 𝟎. 𝟑𝟎𝟎𝟎 = 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟎
4. Find the area 0.2000 or the value nearest to it The nearest area is 0.1985.
in the Table of Area der the Normal Curve.
5. Find the z-value that corresponds to 0.1985 𝐳 = 𝟎. 𝟓𝟐 ↔ the area 0.1985
6. Find the computing formula for determining 𝐗−𝛍
raw scores. 𝐳=
𝛔
7. Modify the formula for X. 𝐱 = 𝛍 + 𝐳𝛔
8. Substitute the given values in the modified 𝑋= 𝜇+𝑧𝜎
formula to solve for X. 𝑋=80+(0.52)(15)
𝑋=87.8≈88
9. Make a concluding statement. In the distribution, 70% of the scores are
below the score 88.
Example 2. In the same problem, what is the
score that divides the distribution such that 99%
of the cases is below it?
The score is to right of the mean. Using 1%
seems more convenient than using 99%.
 STEPS SOLUTION
1. Sketch the diagram of a normal curve.
2. Selecting 1% express this as area. This is 1% is the same as 0.0100
the area to the right of the z-value we
want to locate.
3. Find the area between z = 0 and 0.4900. 0.5000 – 0.0100 = 0.4900
4. Find the area 0.4900 or the value nearest The nearest area is 0.4901
to it in the Table of Areas Under the
Normal Curve.
5. Find the z-value that corresponds to z = ____________________ ↔ the area 0.4901
0.4901.
6. Find the computing formula for 𝐗−𝛍
𝐳=
determining raw scores. 𝛔
7. Modify the formula to solve for X. 𝐗 = 𝛍 + 𝐳𝛔
8. Substitute the given values in the 𝐗 = 𝛍 + 𝐳𝛔
modified formula to solve for X. 𝐗 = _________________________
𝐗 = _________________________
9. Make a conducting statement. In the distribution, 99% of the scores is below the
score___________________.
Example 3. What are the scores that bound the middle 95%
of the distribution?
Analysis Questions:
1. What percent is left at the tails of the distribution?
2. What areas do you need to solve this problem?
3. What normal curve model applies here?
STEPS SOLUTION
1. Sketch the diagram of a normal
curve.
2. Five percent (5%) is left at the two 𝟓% is the same as 0.0500
tails of the distribution. Express it as
area. This is the area to the right of the
z-value that we want to locate.
3. We are interested in the two areas at the tails of 0.05 ÷ 2 = 0.0250
the distribution. So, we divide 0.05 by 2.
4. Find the area between and 0.4750 0.5000 – 0.0250 = 0.4750
5. Find the area 0.4750 or the value nearest to it in The area 0.4750 is found in the table.
the Table of Areas Under the Normal Curve.
6. Find the z – values that corresponds to 0.4750. z = 1.96 ↔ the area 0.4750
7. Use the z-values at both sides of the distribution. The other z-value is ____________________.
8. Find the computing formula for determining raw 𝐗−𝛍
scores. 𝐳=
𝛔
9. Modify the formula to solve for X. 𝐗 = 𝛍 + 𝐳𝛔 𝐨𝐫 𝐗 = 𝛍 + (−𝐳)𝛔
10. Substitute the given values in the modified For 𝐗 = 𝛍 + 𝐳𝛔
formula to solve for X. 𝐗 = _________________________
𝐗 = _________________________
For 𝐗 = 𝛍 + (−𝐳)𝛔
𝐗 = _________________________
𝐗 = _________________________
11. Make a conducting statement. In the distribution, the scores that bound the
middle 95% are
_________________and_________________.
 Using Probabilities to Determine Frequencies
• The area under the curve indicates either a
percentage or a proportion of measurements.
• Percentage also represents the percentage of
scores in the distribution.
Example 1: Given 10,000 scores in Biology. The distribution of scores is
normally shaped with μ=100 and σ=14. The raw scores that corresponds to
each z-score value are obtained by using the formula:
1. Draw the normal curve as shown below.
2. At the right mean, the raw score that corresponds to z=1 is μ + 1s.
That is, X=100+(1)(14) or 114.
3. The raw score that corresponds to z=1 is μ + 2s.
That is, X=100+(2)(14) or 124.
4.Finally, the raw score that corresponds to z =3 is μ + 3s
That is, X=100+(3)(14) or 142.

In a similar manner, the raw score that corresponds to

z = -1 is X=100+(-1)(14) or 86
The raw score that corresponds to z = -2 is X=100+(-2)(14) or 72
For the z = -3, the raw score X=100+(-3)(14) or 58
➢ We see that 34.13% of the scores are contained between a score of
100 and 114. If we multiply this area by 10,000 then we get the
number of scores in the section of the distribution that corresponds to
the scores 100 and 114. Since 0.3413 × 10,000 = 3,413, this that there
are 3,413 scores between the two given scores.
➢ 13.59% of the score lies between 114 and 128
0.1359 × 10,000 = 1,359 scores
➢ 2.15% of the score lies between 128 and 142
0.0215 × 10,000 = 215 scores
➢ 13 scores are greater than 142

➢ 3,413 scores are between 86 and100

➢ 1,359 scores are between 72 and 86
➢ 215 scores between 58 and 72
➢ 13 scores are below 58
In a job fair, 3000 applicants applied for job. Their
mean age was found to be 28 with a standard
deviation of 4 years.
a. Draw a normal curve distribution showing the z –
scores and the raw scores.
b. How many applicants are below 20 years old?
c. How many applicants are above 32 years old?
d. How many have ages between 24 and 32 years?
Given a population of 5000 scores with mean of 86
and standard deviation of 10. How many scores are:
1. between 86 and 96?
2. between 96 and 106?
3. above 116?
4. between 76 and 86?
5. below 56?