Question

On 23/06/2020, in ERSC 123, a student scored 60% in mathematics and 61% in physics. What subject did the student perform better in if the standard deviations were 2% and 3%, respectively (rounded)?

A) Mathematics
B) Physics
C) Both subjects equally
D) Cannot be determined from the given information

Answer 1

The student performed better in mathematics.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which subject the student performed better in, we need to compare the scores adjusted for the standard deviations. The student scored 60% in mathematics with a standard deviation of 2%, and 61% in physics with a standard deviation of 3%. To adjust the scores, we subtract the mean from each score and divide by the standard deviation. For mathematics, the adjusted score is (60-0)/(2) = 30, and for physics, the adjusted score is (61-0)/(3) = 20. Since 30 > 20, the student performed better in mathematics.