Question

Body and exam measurements were collected from 300 subjects. The pulse rates from 100 males have a mean of beats per minute and a standard deviation of beats per minute. Use the range rule of thumb for identifying significant values to identify the limits separating values that are significantly low or significantly high. Is a pulse rate of beats per minute significantly​ low, significantly​ high, or​ neither? (All of these pulse rates are measured at​ rest.) Explain.

Answer 1

To determine if a pulse rate is significantly low or high, we use the range rule of thumb, which adds and subtracts twice the standard deviation from the mean. Pulse rates falling outside this range are considered significantly low or high.

Step-by-step explanation:

The range rule of thumb states that most values (approximately 95%) should fall within two standard deviations of the mean. For pulse rate data collected from males at rest, with a specified mean and standard deviation, we can calculate the range within which significantly low or high values would lie. To find the high and low ends of this range, we add and subtract twice the standard deviation from the mean.

To determine if a specific pulse rate is significantly low or high, we would compare it to these limits. If the pulse rate falls below the lower limit, it would be considered significantly low. Conversely, if it exceeds the upper limit, it is significantly high. If it falls within the range, it is considered normal.

For example, if the mean pulse rate is 72 beats per minute with a standard deviation of 10 beats per minute, the lower limit for a significantly low rate would be 52 bpm (72 - 2*10) and the upper limit for a significantly high rate would be 92 bpm (72 + 2*10).