Final answer:
To find the percentage of babies that are preterm, we need to calculate the area under the normal distribution curve for values less than 37 weeks.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the percentage of babies that are preterm, we need to calculate the area under the normal distribution curve for values less than 37 weeks. We can do this by finding the z-score for 37 weeks using the mean and standard deviation given.
Using the formula for the z-score: z = (x - mean) / standard deviation
We can calculate: z = (37 - 39) / 1.582 = -1.267
Next, we can use a z-table or software to find the area to the left of -1.267, which corresponds to the percentage of babies born earlier than 37 weeks. The percentage is approximately 0.1026 or 10.26%.