Final answer:
The inside diameter of a randomly selected piston ring is affected by its standard deviation. A smaller standard deviation indicates less variability, while a larger standard deviation indicates greater variability.
Step-by-step explanation:
The variability of the selected piston rings is affected by the standard deviation of the inside diameter. A smaller standard deviation indicates less variability, while a larger standard deviation indicates greater variability. In this case, the standard deviation is 0.04 cm.
It means that the inside diameters of the randomly selected piston rings vary by approximately 0.04 cm on average from the mean value of 14 cm. For example, if we randomly select a piston ring, there is a higher probability of getting an inside diameter close to 14 cm (+/- 0.04 cm) than getting an inside diameter further away from the mean.
Therefore, the inside diameter of a randomly selected piston ring with a mean value of 14 cm and a standard deviation of 0.04 cm affects the variability of the selected rings by determining the range within which the inside diameters can vary.