Table of contents
- 1. Intro to Stats and Collecting Data55m
- 2. Describing Data with Tables and Graphs1h 55m
- 3. Describing Data Numerically1h 45m
- 4. Probability2h 16m
- 5. Binomial Distribution & Discrete Random Variables2h 33m
- 6. Normal Distribution and Continuous Random Variables1h 38m
- 7. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Mean1h 3m
- 8. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Proportion1h 12m
- 9. Hypothesis Testing for One Sample1h 1m
- 10. Hypothesis Testing for Two Samples2h 8m
- 11. Correlation48m
- 12. Regression1h 4m
- 13. Chi-Square Tests & Goodness of Fit1h 20m
- 14. ANOVA1h 0m
6. Normal Distribution and Continuous Random Variables
Standard Normal Distribution
Problem 5.RS.1a
Textbook Question
Assume the machine shifts and the distribution of the amount of the compound added now has a mean of 9.96 milligrams and a standard deviation of 0.05 milligram. You select one vial and determine how much of the compound was added.

a. What is the probability that you select a vial that is within the acceptable range (in other words, you do not detect that the machine has shifted)? (See figure.)

1
Step 1: Identify the parameters of the shifted distribution. The mean is given as 9.96 milligrams, and the standard deviation is 0.05 milligrams. The acceptable range is determined by the original distribution, which is centered around a mean of 9.8 milligrams.
Step 2: Define the acceptable range. Based on the figure, the upper limit of the acceptable range appears to be approximately 10.0 milligrams. This range corresponds to the original distribution's boundaries where the machine is considered to be functioning correctly.
Step 3: Standardize the values using the z-score formula. The z-score formula is \( z = \frac{x - \mu}{\sigma} \), where \( x \) is the value, \( \mu \) is the mean, and \( \sigma \) is the standard deviation. Calculate the z-scores for the lower and upper limits of the acceptable range using the shifted distribution's mean and standard deviation.
Step 4: Use the z-scores to find the cumulative probabilities. Refer to the standard normal distribution table (or use statistical software) to find the cumulative probabilities corresponding to the calculated z-scores.
Step 5: Subtract the cumulative probability of the lower limit from the cumulative probability of the upper limit. This will give the probability that a randomly selected vial falls within the acceptable range under the shifted distribution.

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Normal Distribution
Normal distribution is a probability distribution that is symmetric about the mean, showing that data near the mean are more frequent in occurrence than data far from the mean. It is characterized by its bell-shaped curve, defined by its mean and standard deviation. In this context, the original and shifted distributions of the compound amounts are both normal distributions, which allows for the calculation of probabilities related to the selection of vials.
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Mean and Standard Deviation
The mean is the average of a set of values, representing the central point of a distribution, while the standard deviation measures the amount of variation or dispersion from the mean. In this scenario, the mean of the shifted distribution is 9.96 milligrams, and the standard deviation is 0.05 milligrams, which helps determine the range of acceptable values for the compound added to the vials.
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Probability and Z-scores
Probability quantifies the likelihood of an event occurring, often calculated using Z-scores in the context of normal distributions. A Z-score indicates how many standard deviations an element is from the mean. To find the probability that a selected vial falls within the acceptable range, one would calculate the Z-scores for the limits of that range and use the standard normal distribution to find the corresponding probabilities.
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