Final answer:
To find the probability and cut-off lengths for nails, we need to use the standard normal distribution and the Z-score. The probability of a longer nail is 0.6368, the probability of a nail between 2.994 and 2.996 inches is 0.0386, and the cut-off lengths for nails to be discarded are 2.96 inches and 3.035 inches.
Step-by-step explanation:
To answer these questions, we need to use the standard normal distribution and the Z-score. The Z-score measures the number of standard deviations an individual value is from the mean.
Question 1:
To find the probability that a randomly selected nail from the box is longer than 3.007 inches, we need to calculate the Z-score for 3.007 using the formula: Z = (X - μ) / σ.
Z = (3.007 - 3) / 0.02 = 0.35.
Using the Cumulative Z-Score Table, we can find that the probability corresponding to a Z-score of 0.35 is approximately 0.6368. Therefore, the probability that a randomly selected nail from the box is longer than 3.007 inches is 0.6368.
Question 2:
To find the probability that a randomly selected nail from the box is between 2.994 and 2.996 inches, we need to calculate the Z-scores for both values.
Z for 2.994 = (2.994 - 3) / 0.02 = -0.3.
Z for 2.996 = (2.996 - 3) / 0.02 = -0.2.
Using the Cumulative Z-Score Table, we can find that the probability corresponding to a Z-score of -0.2 is approximately 0.4207 and the probability corresponding to a Z-score of -0.3 is approximately 0.3821.
Therefore, the probability that a randomly selected nail from the box is between 2.994 and 2.996 inches is 0.4207 - 0.3821 = 0.0386.
Question 3:
To find the cut-off lengths for nails to be discarded, we need to calculate the Z-scores corresponding to the given percentages.
Z for the bottom 2.87% = Z for the area to the left of 0.0287 = -1.92 (approximately).
Z for the top 4.46% = Z for the area to the left of 0.9544 (1 - 0.0446) = 1.76 (approximately).
Using the Z-score formula: Z = (X - μ) / σ, we can solve for X.
For the bottom cut-off length: -1.92 = (X - 3) / 0.02. Solving for X, we find X = 2.96 (rounded to two decimal places).
For the top cut-off length: 1.76 = (X - 3) / 0.02. Solving for X, we find X = 3.035 (rounded to two decimal places).
Therefore, the cut-off lengths for nails to be discarded are 2.96 inches and 3.035 inches.