Final answer:
The probability that the mean lifespan from a sample of 9 houseflies is less than 24 days is approximately 0.3085 or 30.85%.
Step-by-step explanation:
This problem involves finding the probability that the mean lifespan from a sample of 9 houseflies is less than 24 days. Since we have the population mean and standard deviation, we can use the z-score formula to standardize the sample mean. The z-score is calculated as (sample mean - population mean) / (population standard deviation / sqrt(sample size)). Once we have the z-score, we can use a standard normal distribution table to find the probability.
Substituting the given values into the formula, we get (24 - 26) / (12 / sqrt(9)) = -2 / 4 = -0.5. Looking up the z-score -0.5 in the standard normal distribution table, we find the probability to be approximately 0.3085 or 30.85%.