Final answer:
To compute the probabilities for a given range in a random sample from a normal distribution, use the normalcdf function with the appropriate values.
Step-by-step explanation:
To compute the probability of a given range for a random sample from a normal distribution, you can use the normal distribution function or a calculator. Given a random sample from a normal distribution with mean (µ) of 77 and standard deviation (σ) of 5, you need to compute the probabilities for the given ranges:
(a) P(77 < x < 79.5): To compute this probability, you can use the normalcdf function with the values 77, 79.5, 77, and 5 to get the answer.
(b) P(74.2 < x < 78.4): To compute this probability, you can use the normalcdf function with the values 74.2, 78.4, 77, and 5 to get the answer.