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he brain volumes (cm3) of 20 brains have a mean of 1190.7 cm3 and a standard deviation of 120.4 cm3. Use the given standard deviation and the range rule of thumb to identify the limits separating values that are significantly low or significantly high. For such data, would a brain volume of 1411.5 cm3 be significantly high?

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Answer:

Explanation:

The range rule of thumb states that the range of a dataset is approximately four times the standard deviation. Using this rule, we can estimate the range of brain volumes in this dataset:

Range ≈ 4 × standard deviation = 4 × 120.4 cm3 = 481.6 cm3

To identify the limits separating values that are significantly low or significantly high, we can add and subtract half the range to and from the mean:

Lower limit = mean - (range/2) = 1190.7 cm3 - (481.6 cm3 / 2) = 949.9 cm3

Upper limit = mean + (range/2) = 1190.7 cm3 + (481.6 cm3 / 2) = 1431.5 cm3

Therefore, any brain volume below 949.9 cm3 or above 1431.5 cm3 would be considered significantly low or significantly high, respectively.

A brain volume of 1411.5 cm3 is within the range of values that are not considered significantly high or low. Its z-score can be calculated as follows:

z-score = (1411.5 - 1190.7) / 120.4 = 1.84

Using a standard normal distribution table or calculator, we can find that the probability of getting a z-score of 1.84 or higher is approximately 0.0336. This means that a brain volume of 1411.5 cm3 would be considered uncommon, but not extremely rare.

User Niayesh Isky
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