Normal Distribution (DP IB Maths: AI HL)

Exam Questions

3 hours25 questions
1a
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2 marks

The random variable, X is seen on the following diagram which shows the distribution of heights, in cm, of adult women in the UK:

q1a-4-6-normal-distribution-medium-ib-ai-sl-maths

The distribution of heights follows a normal distribution, with a mean of 162 cm and a standard deviation of 6.3 cm.

On the diagram above, shade in the region representing straight P left parenthesis X greater than 155 right parenthesis.

1b
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4 marks
(i)
Find the probability that a randomly selected woman has a height of more than 155cm.

 

(ii)
Use your answer from part (b)(i) to find the probability that a randomly selected woman has a height of more than 169cm.
1c
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3 marks

Suggest a range of heights within which the height of approximately

 (i)      68%

 (ii)     95%

 (iii)    99.7%

 of adult women in the UK will fall.

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2a
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3 marks

For the random variable X tilde straight N left parenthesis 23 comma 4 squared right parenthesis find the following probabilities:

(I)
straight P left parenthesis X less than 20 right parenthesis

(ii)
straight P left parenthesis X greater or equal than 29 right parenthesis

(iii)
straight P left parenthesis 20 less or equal than X less than 29 right parenthesis
2b
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3 marks

For the random variable Y tilde straight N left parenthesis 100 comma space 225 right parenthesis find the following probabilities:

(i)
straight P left parenthesis Y less or equal than 90 right parenthesis

(ii)
straight P left parenthesis Y greater than 140 right parenthesis

(iii)
straight P left parenthesis 85 less or equal than Y less or equal than 115 right parenthesis

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3a
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2 marks

The weight,W  g, of a chocolate bar produced by a certain manufacturer is modelled as W tilde straight N left parenthesis 200 comma 1.75 squared right parenthesis.

Find:

(i)
straight P left parenthesis W less than 195 right parenthesis
(ii)
straight P left parenthesis W greater than 203 right parenthesis

 

 

3b
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2 marks

Heledd buys a pack containing 12 of the chocolate bars.  It may be assumed that the 12 bars in the pack represent a random sample.

Find the probability that all of the bars in the pack have a weight of at least 195 g.

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4a
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4 marks

The random variable X tilde straight N left parenthesis 330 comma 10 squared right parenthesis.. 

Find the value of a, to 2 decimal places, such that:

(i)
straight P left parenthesis X less than a right parenthesis equals 0.25

(ii)
straight P left parenthesis X greater than a right parenthesis equals 0.25

(iii)
straight P left parenthesis 315 less or equal than X less or equal than a right parenthesis equals 0.5
4b
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2 marks

The random variable Y tilde straight N left parenthesis 10 comma 10 right parenthesis.

Find the value of b and the value of c, each to 2 decimal places, such that:

(i)
straight P left parenthesis Y less than b right parenthesis equals 0.4

(ii)
straight P left parenthesis Y greater than c right parenthesis equals 0.25

 

4c
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2 marks

Use a sketch of the distribution of Y to explain why straight P left parenthesis b less or equal than Y less or equal than c right parenthesis equals 0.35.

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5a
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3 marks

The test scores, X, of a group of RAF recruits in an aptitude test are modelled as a normal distribution with X tilde straight N left parenthesis 210 comma space 27.8 squared right parenthesis. 

(i)      Find the values of a and b such that straight P left parenthesis X less than a right parenthesis equals 0.25 space spaceand straight P left parenthesis X greater than b right parenthesis equals 0.25. .

(ii)     Hence find the interquartile range of the scores.

5b
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2 marks

Those who score in the top 30% on the test move on to the next stage of training.

One of the recruits, Amelia, achieves a score of 231.Determine whether Amelia will move on to the next stage of training.

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6a
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2 marks

A machine is used to fill cans of a particular brand of soft drink.  The volume, V ml, of soft drink in the cans is normally distributed with mean 330 ml and standard deviation sigma ml. 

It is known that approximately 16% of the cans contain more than 333.28 ml of soft drink.

Using the properties of the normal distribution, explain why 3.28 ml would provide a good approximation for the value of sigma.

6b
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1 mark

Using sigma equals 3.28 space ml, find straight P left parenthesis 320 less or equal than V less or equal than 340 right parenthesis  .

6c
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3 marks

Six cans of the soft drink are chosen at random.

Again using sigma equals 3.28 space ml comma, find the probability that all of the cans contain less than 329 ml of soft drink.

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1a
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2 marks

A scientist is studying the movement of snails and has observed that the distribution of their speeds, S, follows a normal distribution with a mean of 48 m/h and a standard deviation of 1.5 m/h.

Sketch a diagram to represent this information.

1b
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2 marks

Find the probability that a randomly selected snail has a speed of less than 46.5 m/h.

1c
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2 marks

From a sample of 80 snails, calculate the expected number of snails that would have a speed of less than 46.5 m/h. Give your answer to the nearest integer.

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2a
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4 marks

The height of the average female giraffe, from a population where the heights follow a normal distribution, is 4.57 m and has a standard deviation of 1.28 m.

Find:

(i)
Q1
(ii)
Q3
(iii)
IQR
2b
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2 marks

The heights, H, of male giraffes are also normally distributed, where straight H tilde space N left parenthesis 4.96 comma 1.01 squared right parenthesis.

Find the proportion of male giraffes that fall within the IQR of the female population.

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3a
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3 marks

If X tilde N left parenthesis 24 comma 16 right parenthesis

Find x given that:

(i)
straight P left parenthesis X less than x right parenthesis equals 0.7

(ii)
straight P left parenthesis X greater than x right parenthesis equals 0.15

 

3b
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3 marks

Find a and b given that straight P left parenthesis a less than X less than b right parenthesis equals 0.95 and a and b are equal distances from the mean.

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4a
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3 marks

The weight, W, of pumpkins purchased are normally distributed with a mean of 11.3 kg and a standard deviation of 2.1 kg.

In one year, a farmer grows 350 pumpkins on his farm.

Predict the number of pumpkins that weigh between 7.2 kg and 12.5 kg from the farm.

 

4b
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3 marks

The heaviest 7% of pumpkins are classified as large and are sold at a higher price.

Find the range of weights of pumpkins that can be sold for a higher price.

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5a
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2 marks

The distribution of birth weight of a newborn can be assumed to follow a normal distribution with a mean of 3369 g and a standard deviation of 567 g.

A baby is classified as being of low birth weight if its weight is less than 2500 g.

Draw a diagram to represent the situation, labelling clearly the mean and the boundary for low birth weight.

5b
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2 marks

Find the expected number of babies from a sample of 1000 that are born with a low birth weight. Give your answer to the nearest integer.

5c
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2 marks

14% of babies born at a particular hospital weigh more than 4 kg.

State whether this is representative of the population. Give a reason for your answer.

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6a
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3 marks

A reaction time test has been used to collate data about how quickly a person can react to a given signal by pressing the space bar on a computer. It is found that the results of the test, X, are distributed normally with a mean of 273 milliseconds and a variance of 121 milliseconds.

Use a sketch of the distribution to show that  straight P left parenthesis 284 less than X less than 295 right parenthesis equals 0.135.

6b
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4 marks

A result that lies outside of two and a half standard deviations from the mean is considered to be extreme. A group of 145 students decide to measure their reaction times using the test.

Estimate the number of students that will receive a result that would be considered extreme. Give your answer to the nearest integer.

 

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7a
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4 marks

A software firm has recorded the distance, D, that their users have been scrolled on a computer by a mouse over the course of one year. The data is distributed normally with a mean of 18.4 miles and a standard deviation of 5.8 miles.

Calculate the interquartile range of the data.

7b
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4 marks

It is known that 8% of the users scroll more than d miles but less than 22 miles.

Find the value of d.

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8a
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2 marks

A company states that the lifespan in hours, H, of the bulbs that they manufacture follows a normal distribution with the parameters straight H tilde space N left parenthesis 3000 comma 720 squared right parenthesis.

The company advertises that their lightbulbs exceed a lifespan of h hours.

Given that straight P left parenthesis H less than h right parenthesis equals 0.4 comma find h.

8b
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3 marks

From a batch of 4000 lightbulbs, calculate the expected number of lightbulbs that will have a lifespan greater than h found in part (a) but less than 3150 hours.

8c
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3 marks

The 5% of light bulbs with the shortest life span are considered to be defective.

One of the lightbulbs that is tested has a lifespan of 2213 hours. Determine whether the lightbulb is considered to be defective. Give a reason for your answer.

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9a
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4 marks

From a given population it is found that the average person spends on average 122 minutes exercising each week.  The data follows a normal distribution and has a standard deviation of σ minutes.

It is known that approximately 81.5% of people spend between 50 and 158 minutes exercising each week.

Using a sketch of the distribution or otherwise, explain why 36 minutes would provide a good approximation for the value of σ.

9b
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3 marks

From a sample of people within the population, it is known that 15 of them spent less than 65 minutes exercising each week.

Using the value above, of 36 minutes for the standard deviation, find the total number of people within the sample.

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10a
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2 marks

The running time of films is normally distributed with a mean time of 102 minutes and a standard deviation of 13 minutes.

Find the probability that, on a randomly selected day, the feature film playing at the cinema has a running time of between 97 and 108 minutes.

10b
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3 marks

Jonah watches a film on 18 different occasions.

Find the expected number of occasions on which the film he watches will last less than 95 minutes.

10c
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3 marks

Find the probability that on at least 6 out of the 18 occasions, the film will last for longer than 99 minutes.

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1a
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2 marks

The graph below shows the normal distribution of the volume, in ml, of drink in a can provided by a manufacturer, with the central 68% of the distribution shaded.

q1a-4-6-normal-distribution-vh-ib-ai-sl-maths

State the mean volume of ml found in a can and the standard deviation.

1b
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2 marks

The probability that a can picked at random has a volume that is greater than v is 0.19. Find v.

1c
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3 marks

A sample of cans of drink were analysed and 27 were found to have a volume of less than 320 ml.

Find an estimate for the number of cans of drink that were in the sample.

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2a
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2 marks

It is known that the time in minutes, T, that a customer spends on hold when calling a customer service line follows a normal distribution, where T tilde space straight N left parenthesis 17 comma space 4 squared right parenthesis.

Find the probability that a customer chosen at random spends more than 25 minutes on hold.

2b
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2 marks

Find the interquartile range of the hold times.

2c
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2 marks

Find the time spent on hold that is exceeded by 6% of the population.

2d
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3 marks

From a sample of 200 customers find the probability that exactly 25% of the customers in the sample would spend less than 15 minutes on hold.

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3a
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3 marks

The stem heights, H in cm, of a particular variety of tulip follow a distribution where H tilde straight N left parenthesis 60.1 comma space 57.76 right parenthesis.

The probability that a randomly selected tulip will have a stem height that is greater than h is 0.72.

Find h.

3b
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4 marks

A tulip is selected at random. It is known that the height of the stem is more than 62 cm.

Find the probability that the stem height is taller than 64 cm.

3c
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4 marks

Leila buys a bunch of 24 tulips.

Calculate the probability that at least 10 of them have a stem height of less than 57 cm.

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4a
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2 marks

The diagram below shows the normal distributions of the life expectancy, L, in hours for two different brands of vacuum cleaner.

q4a-4-6-normal-distribution-vh-ib-ai-sl-maths

State which vacuum cleaner brand is more reliable. Give a reason for your answer.

4b
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2 marks

Using the information for the brand of vacuum cleaner than you stated in part (a), find the probability that the life expectancy of the vacuum will be between 1550 hours and 1700 hours.

4c
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4 marks

When sold, each brand B vacuum cleaner comes with a 5-year warranty, where the manufacturer will replace the vacuum in the event of failure. It is assumed that a typical customer uses the vacuum cleaner for approximately 4 hours each week.

Find the probability that from a batch of 620 brand B vacuum cleaners, more than 0.5% of them could be returned to the manufacturer within the warranty period.

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5a
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2 marks

The distance that a honeybee will travel from the hive to collect pollen is normally distributed with an average distance of 1.1 miles and a variance of 0.04.

Find the probability that a honeybee will travel further than 1.6 miles from the hive.

5b
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2 marks

83% of the honeybees travel a distance that is greater than h miles.

Find the value of h.

5c
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4 marks

A colony consists of 60 000 honeybees.

Calculate the probability that at least 28% but no more than 31% of the honeybees in this colony will stay within 1 mile of the hive.

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6a
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3 marks

A teacher sets the same test every year for which the results follow a normal distribution with a mean score of 53 points.  The teacher decides that any student who scores lower than one standard deviation below the mean will have to re-sit the test.  The diagram below shows the distribution of test scores and the boundary for those that need to re-sit.

q6a-4-6-normal-distribution-vh-ib-ai-sl-maths

For a class that complete the test, four students are instructed that they will need to re-sit.

Find:

(i)
the standard deviation of the test scores.
(ii)
an estimate for the total number of students in the class

6b
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4 marks

A second class of 28 students sit the same test. If they achieve a score of greater than 65, they will achieve a commendation.

Find the probability that exactly 3 students in this class achieve a commendation.

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7a
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3 marks

The masses, M, of cockroaches are normally distributed with an average mass of 28.8 g.

It is known that 0.15% of the population of cockroaches has a mass greater than 51.9 g.

Find an approximate value for the variance of the population of cockroaches.

7b
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6 marks

38 cockroaches are caught in a trap.

Using your value for the variance in part (a), find the probability that:

(i)
exactly 15 of the cockroaches have a mass that is greater than 30 g

(ii)
more than 26 cockroaches have a mass that is between 26 g and 56 g.

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8a
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2 marks

Alannah cycles to school each day via one of two possible routes and the time taken to complete either journey follows a normal distribution.

The journey time for route A has a mean of 28 minutes and a standard deviation of 10 minutes.

The journey time for route B has a mean 33 of minutes and a standard deviation of 4 minutes.

Identify an advantage of each route.

8b
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3 marks

The school day begins at 08:30 and Alannah leaves her house at 07:55.

Determine which route is more likely to make her late.

8c
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5 marks

Route A is closed off for maintenance work so Alannah travels by route B every day from Monday to Friday.

Find the probability that she is on time for school on 2 consecutive days and late for the other 3 days.

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9a
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4 marks

It is known that the time spent on a smart phone per day by teenage boys is normally distributed with a mean of 306 minutes and a variance of 562

Find the proportion of teenage boys that spend between 275 minutes and 375 minutes per day on a smart phone. Sketch a diagram to show this information.

9b
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3 marks

A sample of 50 teenage boys are selected from this population.

Find the expected number of boys from the sample who spend more than 7 hours on their smart phone each day.

 

9c
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3 marks

The time spent on smart phones each day by teenage girls is also considered to follow a normal distribution with a mean of 286 minutes and a standard deviation of 74 minutes.

25 teenage girls are selected at random. Find the probability that exactly 3 of them spend less than 200 minutes on a smart phone each day.

9d
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4 marks

A teenager is selected at random from the group of 50 teenage boys in part (b) and the group of 25 teenage girls in part (c).

Find the probability that a teenager picked at random is a boy, given that they spend less than 250 minutes on a smart phone each day.

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