Problem Set.

Normal Distribution

Solve the following problems completely.

1. The completion time for a task in a production line is normally distributed with a mean of 45
minutes and a standard deviation of 10 minutes. Production standards consider a task completion
time of 50 minutes as still acceptable and completion time of 35 or less as exceptionally good.
a. What is the probability that a random stopwatch reading for one worker will exceed 50
minutes?
b. What is the probability that the reading will be exceptionally good?

Answer:
To solve this problem, we will use the properties of the normal distribution. Given that the task
completion time is normally distributed with a mean (μ)of 45 minutes and a standard deviation of (σ)
10 minutes, we can calculate the probabilities by standardizing the times and using the standard normal
distribution.

a. Probability that a random stopwatch reading exceeds 50 minutes

First, we need to calculate the Z-score for 50 minutes. The Z-score is given by:

Z=X−μ
σ
Where:
 X is the value we're interested in (50 minutes),
 μ is the mean (45 minutes),
 σ is the standard deviation (10 minutes).

Substitute the values:

Z = 50 - 45= 5= 0.5
10 10

Next, we look up the Z-score of 0.5 in the standard normal distribution table or use a calculator to find
the corresponding probability. The value for Z = 0.5 gives us the cumulative probability up to 50 minutes.

The cumulative probability for Z = 0.5is approximately 0.6915. This represents the probability that the
reading is **less than or equal** to 50 minutes.

To find the probability that the reading **exceeds** 50 minutes, we subtract this cumulative probability
from 1:

P (X > 50) = 1 - P (Z < 0.5) = 1 - 0.6915 = 0.3085

Thus, the probability that a random stopwatch reading for one worker will exceed 50 minutes is 0.3085
or 30.85%.

b. Probability that the reading will be exceptionally good (35 minutes or less)
Now, we calculate the Z-score for 35 minutes:

Z = 35 - 45= -10= -1
10 10
Using the standard normal distribution table or a calculator, we find the cumulative probability for Z = -
1.

The cumulative probability for Z = -1 is approximately 0.1587. This represents the probability that the
reading islless than or equal** to 35 minutes.

Therefore, the probability that the reading will be exceptionally good (35 minutes or less) is 0.1587 or
15.87%.

Summary of Results
a. Probability that a stopwatch reading exceeds 50 minutes: 30.85%
b. Probability that the reading will be exceptionally good (35 inutes or less): 15.87%.

2. Manila based trucking company uses a fleet of trucks to haul commodities of its clients to any point
in the island of Luzon. Delivery distances are normally distributed with a mean of 250 km and a
standard deviation of 100km. What is the probability that the next delivery call will be:
a. Less than 50 km?
b. Between 150 and 350 km?
c. If the manager decides not to accept trips which will take more than 400 km, what
d. is the probability that delivery calls will not be serviced?

Answer:

To solve this problem, we'll use the properties of the normal distribution again. The delivery
distances are normally distributed with a mean (μ) of 250 km and a standard deviation (σ) of 100
km. We'll calculate the probabilities for each scenario by converting the distances into Z-scores
and then using the standard normal distribution.
a. Probability that the next delivery call will be less than 50 km
First, we calculate the Z-score for 50 km.
Z=X−μ
σ

Where:
 X is the value of interest (50 km),
 μ is the mean (250 km),
 σ is the standard deviation (100 km).
Substitute the values:
Z=50−250=−200=−2
100 100
Now, we find the cumulative probability for Z=−2Z=−2 using the standard normal distribution
table or a calculator. The cumulative probability for Z=−2Z=−2 is approximately 0.0228.
So, the probability that the next delivery call will be less than 50 km is 0.0228 or 2.28%.
b. Probability that the next delivery call will be between 150 km and 350 km
To find this probability, we calculate the Z-scores for both 150 km and 350 km.
For 150 km:
Z1=150−250=−100=− 1
100 100
For 350 km:
Z2=350−250=100=1
100 100

Using the standard normal distribution table or a calculator:

 The cumulative probability for Z=−1Z=−1 is approximately 0.1587.
 The cumulative probability for Z=1Z=1 is approximately 0.8413.
To find the probability that the delivery call will be between 150 km and 350 km, we subtract the
cumulative probability for Z=−1Z=−1 from the cumulative probability for Z=1Z=1:
P(150<X<350)=P(Z<1)−P(Z<−1)=0.8413−0.1587=0.6826
So, the probability that the next delivery call will be between 150 and 350 km
is 0.6826 or 68.26%.
c. Probability that delivery calls will not be serviced if the manager decides not to
accept trips which will take more than 400 km
We calculate the Z-score for 400 km:
Z=400−250=150=1.5
100 100
Using the standard normal distribution table or a calculator, the cumulative probability
for Z=1.5Z=1.5 is approximately 0.9332. This represents the probability that a delivery call will
be 400 km or less.
To find the probability that delivery calls will not be serviced (i.e., exceed 400 km), we subtract
this cumulative probability from 1:
P(X>400)=1−P(Z≤1.5)=1−0.9332=0.0668P(X>400)=1−P(Z≤1.5)=1−0.9332=0.0668
So, the probability that delivery calls will not be serviced if the manager decides not to accept
trips more than 400 km is 0.0668 or 6.68%.
Summary of Results
a. Probability that the next delivery call will be less than 50 km: 2.28%.
b. Probability that the next delivery call will be between 150 and 350 km: 68.26%.
c. Probability that delivery calls will not be serviced if trips more than 400 km are not
accepted: 6.68%.

3. The mean score in the admission test was 80 with a standard deviation of 6.6.
a. If the passing mark is set at 65, what is the probability that an applicant selected at random
passed the test?
b. If the upper 25% will automatically get a scholarship, what is the least score that a student must
obtain to qualify for the scholarship?
 c. If 500 students took the test, how many of them failed?

Answers:
To solve these problems, we will use the properties of the normal distribution, where the test
scores are normally distributed with a mean (μ) of 80 and a standard deviation (σ) of 6.6.
a. Probability that an applicant passed the test
To find the probability that an applicant selected at random passed the test (i.e., scored 65 or
above), we first calculate the Z-score for a score of 65.
The Z-score is given by:
Z=X−μ
σ
Where:
X =65 (the passing mark)
μ=80 (the mean score)
σ =6.6 (the standard deviation).
Substitute the values:
Z=65−80=−15≈−2.27
6.6 6.6
Using the standard normal distribution table or a calculator, we find the cumulative probability
for Z=−2.27
The cumulative probability for Z=−2.27Z=−2.27 is approximately 0.0116. This represents the
probability that a score is below 65.
To find the probability that an applicant passed the test (scored 65 or above), we subtract this
probability from 1:
P(X≥65)=1−P(Z≤−2.27)=1−0.0116=0.9884P(X≥65)=1−P(Z≤−2.27)=1−0.0116=0.9884
So, the probability that an applicant selected at random passed the test is 0.9884 or 98.84%.
b. Least score required for the upper 25% to qualify for the scholarship
To find the score corresponding to the upper 25%, we need to find the Z-score that corresponds
to the 75th percentile of the standard normal distribution because the upper 25% starts at the 75th
percentile.
The Z-score for the 75th percentile is approximately 0.675.
We can use this Z-score to find the corresponding score (X) using the formula:
X=μ+Z⋅σX=μ+Z⋅σ
Substitute the values:
X=80+0.675×6.6≈80+4.455=84.455X=80+0.675×6.6≈80+4.455=84.455
So, the least score that a student must obtain to qualify for the scholarship is 84.455. Since scores
are usually rounded, a score of 84.46 or 85 (depending on rounding rules) can be considered.
c. Number of students who failed if 500 students took the test
To determine how many students failed, we need the probability of a student scoring below 65,
which we already calculated in part (a) as 0.0116.
If 500 students took the test, the expected number of students who failed is:
Number of failures=500×0.0116=5.8Number of failures=500×0.0116=5.8
Since the number of students cannot be fractional, it is reasonable to round this to 6.
So, approximately 6 students failed the test.
Summary of Results
a. Probability that an applicant passed the test: 98.84%.
b. Least score required for the upper 25% to qualify for the scholarship: 84.46 (or 85 if
rounding to the nearest whole number).
c. Number of students who failed: 6.