Final answer:
Using the standard normal distribution, we can calculate the probability of randomly selecting a cigarette with 0.501 grams of nicotine or less by converting it to a standard score (z-score) and using a normalcdf function. The probability is approximately 0.0672.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the probability of randomly selecting a cigarette with 0.501 grams of nicotine or less, we need to use the standard normal distribution and convert the given value to a standard score (z-score). The formula to calculate the standard score is:
z = (x - mean) / standard deviation
In this case, x = 0.501 grams, mean = 0.963 grams, and standard deviation = 0.308 grams.
Substituting these values into the formula:
z = (0.501 - 0.963) / 0.308 = -1.4922
To find the probability, we can use a standard normal distribution table or a calculator with a normalcdf function.
Using the normalcdf function with a lower bound of -infinity and an upper bound of -1.4922, we can calculate the probability:
P(X < 0.501) = normalcdf(-infinity, -1.4922) = 0.0672
Rounding this answer to four decimals, the probability of randomly selecting a cigarette with 0.501 grams of nicotine or less is approximately 0.0672.