Final answer:
To find the probability of choosing someone who spent less than $40 on a Halloween costume, use the z-score formula. The probability is approximately 20.3%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the probability of choosing someone who spent less than $40 on a Halloween costume, we can use the z-score formula:
z = (x - μ) / σ
Where:
- z is the z-score
- x is the value we want to find the probability for (in this case, $40)
- μ is the mean value of the sample (which is $50)
- σ is the standard deviation (which is $12)
Substituting the values, we get:
z = (40 - 50) / 12 = -10 / 12 = -0.8333
Next, we can look up the corresponding probability from the z-table or use a calculator that provides the cumulative probability function. In this case, the probability of choosing someone who spent less than $40 is approximately 0.203, or 20.3%.