65.8k views
5 votes
The amounts of nicotine in a certain brand of cigarette are normally distributed with a mean of 0.967 grams and a standard deviation of 0.298 grams. Find the probability of randomly selecting a cigarette with 0.669 grams of nicotine or less. Round your answer to four decimals.

P ( X < 0.669 )

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The probability of randomly selecting a cigarette with 0.669 grams of nicotine or less is calculated using the z-score method and standard normal distribution, yielding a probability of 0.1587.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the probability of randomly selecting a cigarette with 0.669 grams of nicotine or less when the amounts of nicotine are normally distributed with a mean of 0.967 grams and a standard deviation of 0.298 grams. To find this probability (denoted as P(X < 0.669)), we first need to find the z-score, which represents the number of standard deviations a value is from the mean. The z-score is calculated using the formula:

z = (X - μ) / σ

Where:

  • X is the value of interest (0.669 grams)
  • μ (mu) is the mean (0.967 grams)
  • σ (sigma) is the standard deviation (0.298 grams)

Plugging in our values:

z = (0.669 - 0.967) / 0.298

z = -1.00 (rounded to two decimal places)

Now, using the standard normal distribution table, or a calculator equipped with normal distribution functions, we can find the probability associated with a z-score of -1.00. This gives us the probability we are seeking, P(X < 0.669).

The answer would typically be calculated using either a z-table or technology like a graphing calculator. For the sake of this example, let's assume the probability associated with a z-score of -1.00 is approximately 0.1587.

Therefore, the probability of randomly selecting a cigarette with 0.669 grams of nicotine or less is 0.1587 (rounded to four decimal places).

User Pasukaru
by
8.0k points