Statistics 2

The Normal Distribution

Chapter assessment
1. Soup tins have a capacity of 625 ml. The volume of soup, X ml, dispensed into
each tin is Normally distributed with mean 610 and standard deviation 8. If more
than 625 ml is dispensed, the tin overflows.
(i) Find the probability that the volume of soup dispensed into a tin is between
600 ml and 625 ml. [4]

The proportion of tins containing at least 600 ml is too low. To increase this
proportion to 95%, the dispenser is adjusted in such a way as to reduce the
standard deviation of X while leaving the mean unchanged.
(ii) Show that the new value of the standard deviation is 6.08. [4]
(iii) Show that the proportion of tins overflowing is now 0.68%. [3]

Following the adjustment, 1000 randomly chosen tins are inspected.

(iv) Use a suitable approximating distribution to calculate the probability that the
soup overflowed on more than 10 occasions when being dispensed into the
tins. [4]

2. The number of marks gained by candidates in a particular Statistics examination,

for which the maximum mark is 60, is modelled by a Normal distribution with
mean 36 and standard deviation 8. The marks are reported as integers.
(i) Find the probability that a randomly chosen candidate scores exactly 30
marks. [4]
(ii) Three candidates are chosen at random. Find the probability that just one of
them gets fewer than 30 marks. [3]
(iii) It is intended that the proportion of candidates receiving a grade A should be
as near as possible to 20%. What is the lowest integer mark that should be
awarded a grade A? [4]
(iv) In a future Statistics examinations it is intended that the top 25% of
candidates should gain a reported mark of at least 45. Determine the required
value for the mean mark, assuming the standard deviation remains at 8. [4]

3. The number of arrivals per minute at a drive-in fast food outlet is modelled by a
Poisson distribution with mean . During a Saturday evening,  = 0.78.
(i) Give reasons why the proposed Poisson distribution might be a suitable
model. [1]
(ii) Calculate the probability of exactly two arrivals during a one-minute interval.
[2]
(iii) Calculate the probability of at least four arrivals during a five-minute
interval. [3]

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 S2 Normal distribution Assessment solutions

(iv) Using a suitable approximating distribution, calculate the probability that

there are more than 40 arrivals between 7 pm and 8 pm. [4]

Due to capacity constraints, the management of the fast food outlet would like the
probability of more than 40 arrivals in an hour to be 0.02. They ask a statistician
to determine the value to which  should be reduced.
40.5  60
(v) Show that  must satisfy the equation  2.054 . [2]
60

(vi) Use the substitution u  60 to formulate a quadratic equation in u. Solve

this equation to show that the value of  is just less than 0.5. [3]

4. Every day, Morse attempts the crossword puzzle in his newspaper. The time
taken, X minutes, to complete the crossword may be modelled by a Normal
distribution with mean 22 and standard deviation 4.5.
(i) Calculate the probability that he takes
(A) more than 25 minutes,
(B) between 15 and 25 minutes
to complete the crossword. [5]
(ii) What length of time would be enough for Morse to finish the crossword on
95% of days? [3]

Each day Morse takes a train to work. The journey takes 25 minutes. He starts his
crossword at the beginning of his journey.
(iii) Find the probability that he completes the puzzle by the end of his journey at
least twice in a five-day week. [4]
(iv) Morse changes his newspaper and finds that on 99% of occasions he
completes the crossword during his morning train journey. Assuming that the
time taken, Y minutes, to complete the crossword has the distribution
N(18, ²), find the value of . [3]

Total 60 marks

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 S2 Normal distribution Assessment solutions

Solutions to Chapter assessment

600  610
1. (i) X  600  Z   1.25
8
625  610
X  625  Z   1.875
8
P(600  X  625)  P ( 1.25  Z  1.875 )
 (1.875 )  ( 1.25 )
 (1.875 )  1  (1.25 )
 0.9697  1  0.8944
 0.8641

(ii) We want P( X  600)  0.95

( z )  0.05  z  1.645
P( z  1.645 )  0.95
600  610
 1.645

10
  6.08
1.645

625  610
(iii) X  625  Z   2.467
6.08
P( Z  2.467)  1  (2.467)
 1  0.9932
 0.0068
 0.68%

(iv) Let Y represent the number of tins which overflow.

Y  B(1000, 0.0068)

EITHER: Using the Poisson approximation to the binomial

Mean = 1000  0.0068 = 6.8
Y  Poisson (6.8)
Using tables: P(Y > 10)  1  P (Y  10)
 1  0.9151
 0.0849

OR: Using the Normal approximation to the binomial,

mean = 1000  0.0068, variance = 1000  0.0068  0.9932
Y  N(6.8, 6.75376)

10.5  6.8
Z  1.4237
6.75376

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 S2 Normal distribution Assessment solutions

P(Y > 10.5)  1  P (Y  10.5 )

 1    1.4237 
 1  0.9227
 0.0773

2. (i) We want P(29.5 < X < 30.5)

29.5  36
X  29.5  Z   0.8125
8
30.5  36
X  30.5  Z   0.6875
8
P(-0.8125 < Z < -0.6875)= P(0. 6875 < Z < 0. 8125)
 (0.8125 )  (0.6875 )
 0.7917  0.7542
 0.0375

(ii) P(X < 29.5)  ( 0.8125 )

 1  (0.8125 )
 1  0.7917
 0.2083
P(just one of the three gets fewer than 30)  3  0.2083  0.7917 2
 0.392

(iii)We want P(X > n) = 0.2  P(X < n) = 0.8

n  36
  1(0.8)  0.8416
8
n  8  0.8416  36  42.7
so the lowest mark to obtain a grade A should be 43.

(iv) We need P(X > 44.5) = 0.25  P(X < 44.5) = 0.75
44.5  
  1(0.75 )  0.6745
8
  44.5  8  0.6745  39.1
The required mean mark should be 39.1.

3. (i) The number of arrivals are random and independent, and occur at a
uniform rate.

0.78 2
(ii) P(exactly 2 arrivals)  e 0.78
2
 0.139

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 S2 Normal distribution Assessment solutions
(iii)Let X be the number of arrivals in a five-minute interval
X  Poisson (3.9)
P(X  4) = 1 – P(X  3)
= 1 – 0.4532
= 0.5468

(iv) Let Y be the number of arrivals in 60 minutes

Y  Poisson (46.8)
Using the normal approximation to the Poisson distribution
Y  N(46.8, 46.8)
We want P(X > 40.5)
40.5  46.8
X  40.5  Z   0.9209
46.8
P(X > 40.5)  1  ( 0.9209)
 (0.9209)
 0.8215

(v) Y  N(60, 60)

We want P(X > 40.5) = 0.02
P(X < 40.5) = 0.98
40.5  60
  1(0.98)  2.054
60
40.5  60
so  2.054
60

(vi) Let u  60

40.5  u 2
 2.054
u
40.5  u 2  2.054u
u 2  2.054u  40.5  0
2.054  2.0542  4  1  40.5
u
2
 5.419
u  5.419  60  5.419  60  29.36
   0.4894

25  22
4. (i) (A) X  25  Z   0.6667
4.5
P(Z > 0.6667) = 1 – P(Z < 0.6667)
= 1 – 0.7477
= 0.2523

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 S2 Normal distribution Assessment solutions
15  22
(B) X  15  Z   1.5556
4.5
P(Z < - 1.5556) = 1 – P(Z < 1.5556)
= 1 – 0.9401
= 0.0599
P(15 < X < 25) = 0.7477 – 0.0599 = 0.6878

(ii) P(X < T) = 0.95

T  22
  1(0.95 )  1.645
4.5
T  1.645  4.5  22  29.4

(iii) From (i) P(completes puzzle) = 0.7477

P(completes puzzle on 0 days)  0.25235
P(completes puzzle on 1 day)  5  0.25234  0.7477
P(completes puzzle at least twice)  1  0.25235  5  0.25234  0.7477
 0.9838

(iv) P(Y < 25) = 0.99

25  18
  1(0.99)  2.326

7
  3.01
2.326

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