Final answer:
To calculate the standard deviation of Talia's gains from playing the basketball game, we used the given probabilities and the mean to find the variance first and then took its square root, arriving at approximately $3.46.
Step-by-step explanation:
Talia wants to play a basketball game at a carnival which costs $5 to play. Given the probability distribution of Talia's gain (X) from playing, we can calculate the standard deviation (σX). Talia can either lose $5, break even, or gain $5, with probabilities of 0.36, 0.48, and 0.16 respectively. We also know that the mean (μX) is $-1.
First, we calculate the expected value of X:
Σ xP(x) = (-$5)(0.36) + ($0)(0.48) + ($5)(0.16) = - $1.80 + $0 + $0.80 = - $1
Now, to find the standard deviation, we will calculate the variance (σX2):
Σ [x - E(X)]2P(x) = [(-$5 - (-$1))2(0.36)] + [($0 - (-$1))2(0.48)] + [($5 - (-$1))2(0.16)] = [(-$4)2(0.36)] + [($1)2(0.48)] + [($6)2(0.16)] = ($16)(0.36) + ($1)(0.48) + ($36)(0.16) = $5.76 + $0.48 + $5.76 = $12.00
The standard deviation is the square root of the variance:
σX = √σX2 = √$12.00 ≈ $3.46
Therefore, Talia's standard deviation of money gained from playing the basketball game is approximately $3.46.