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Suppose the refills for a particular mechanical pencil

have a mean diameter of 0.5 mm and standard
deviation of 0.007 mm. Refills below 0.485 mm do not
stay in the pencil, while those above 0.520 mm do not
fit in the pencil at all.
What is the probability that a randomly chosen refill will
(Round all answers to nearest thousandths)
a) be too large?
b) be too small?
c) fit correctly?


1 Answer

2 votes

Answer:

the probability that a randomly chosen refill will fit correctly is 0.9780 (rounded to three decimal places).

Explanation:

We can use the standard normal distribution to solve this problem. We first need to calculate the z-scores for the given diameters.

a) To find the probability that a randomly chosen refill will be too large, we need to find the probability of getting a diameter greater than 0.520 mm.

z-score = (0.520 - 0.5) / 0.007 = 2.857

Using a standard normal table or calculator, we find that the probability of getting a z-score of 2.857 or greater is 0.0021.

Therefore, the probability that a randomly chosen refill will be too large is 0.0021 (rounded to three decimal places).

b) To find the probability that a randomly chosen refill will be too small, we need to find the probability of getting a diameter less than 0.485 mm.

z-score = (0.485 - 0.5) / 0.007 = -2.143

Using a standard normal table or calculator, we find that the probability of getting a z-score of -2.143 or less is 0.0164.

Therefore, the probability that a randomly chosen refill will be too small is 0.0164 (rounded to three decimal places).

c) To find the probability that a randomly chosen refill will fit correctly, we need to find the probability of getting a diameter between 0.485 mm and 0.520 mm.

First, we find the z-scores for each diameter:

z-score for 0.485 mm = (0.485 - 0.5) / 0.007 = -2.143

z-score for 0.520 mm = (0.520 - 0.5) / 0.007 = 2.857

Using a standard normal table or calculator, we find that the probability of getting a z-score between -2.143 and 2.857 is 0.9780.

Therefore, the probability that a randomly chosen refill will fit correctly is 0.9780 (rounded to three decimal places).

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