Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page

Practice

6.1 The Standard Normal Distribution

1.

A bottle of water contains 12.05 fluid ounces with a standard deviation of 0.01 ounces. Define the random variable X in words. X = ____________.

2.

A normal distribution has a mean of 61 and a standard deviation of 15. What is the median?

3.

X ~ N(1, 2)

σ = _______

4.

A company manufactures rubber balls. The mean diameter of a ball is 12 cm with a standard deviation of 0.2 cm. Define the random variable X in words. X = ______________.

5.

X ~ N(–4, 1)

What is the median?

6.

X ~ N(3, 5)

σ = _______

7.

X ~ N(–2, 1)

μ = _______

8.

What does a z-score measure?

9.

What does standardizing a normal distribution do to the mean?

10.

Is X ~ N(0, 1) a standardized normal distribution? Why or why not?

11.

What is the z-score of x = 12, if it is two standard deviations to the right of the mean?

12.

What is the z-score of x = 9, if it is 1.5 standard deviations to the left of the mean?

13.

What is the z-score of x = –2, if it is 2.78 standard deviations to the right of the mean?

14.

What is the z-score of x = 7, if it is 0.133 standard deviations to the left of the mean?

15.

Suppose X ~ N(2, 6). What value of x has a z-score of three?

16.

Suppose X ~ N(8, 1). What value of x has a z-score of –2.25?

17.

Suppose X ~ N(9, 5). What value of x has a z-score of –0.5?

18.

Suppose X ~ N(2, 3). What value of x has a z-score of –0.67?

19.

Suppose X ~ N(4, 2). What value of x is 1.5 standard deviations to the left of the mean?

20.

Suppose X ~ N(4, 2). What value of x is two standard deviations to the right of the mean?

21.

Suppose X ~ N(8, 9). What value of x is 0.67 standard deviations to the left of the mean?

22.

Suppose X ~ N(–1, 2). What is the z-score of x = 2?

23.

Suppose X ~ N(12, 6). What is the z-score of x = 2?

24.

Suppose X ~ N(9, 3). What is the z-score of x = 9?

25.

Suppose a normal distribution has a mean of six and a standard deviation of 1.5. What is the z-score of x = 5.5?

26.

In a normal distribution, x = 5 and z = –1.25. This tells you that x = 5 is ____ standard deviations to the ____ (right or left) of the mean.

27.

In a normal distribution, x = 3 and z = 0.67. This tells you that x = 3 is ____ standard deviations to the ____ (right or left) of the mean.

28.

In a normal distribution, x = –2 and z = 6. This tells you that x = –2 is ____ standard deviations to the ____ (right or left) of the mean.

29.

In a normal distribution, x = –5 and z = –3.14. This tells you that x = –5 is ____ standard deviations to the ____ (right or left) of the mean.

30.

In a normal distribution, x = 6 and z = –1.7. This tells you that x = 6 is ____ standard deviations to the ____ (right or left) of the mean.

31.

About what percent of x values from a normal distribution lie within one standard deviation (left and right) of the mean of that distribution?

32.

About what percent of the x values from a normal distribution lie within two standard deviations (left and right) of the mean of that distribution?

33.

About what percent of x values lie between the second and third standard deviations (both sides)?

34.

Suppose X ~ N(15, 3). Between what x values does 68.27% of the data lie? The range of x values is centered at the mean of the distribution (i.e., 15).

35.

Suppose X ~ N(–3, 1). Between what x values does 95.45% of the data lie? The range of x values is centered at the mean of the distribution(i.e., –3).

36.

Suppose X ~ N(–3, 1). Between what x values does 34.14% of the data lie?

37.

About what percent of x values lie between the mean and three standard deviations?

38.

About what percent of x values lie between the mean and one standard deviation?

39.

About what percent of x values lie between the first and second standard deviations from the mean (both sides)?

40.

About what percent of x values lie between the first and third standard deviations(both sides)?

Use the following information to answer the next two exercises: The life of wearable fitness devicess is normally distributed with mean of 4.1 years and a standard deviation of 1.3 years. A wearable fitness device is guaranteed for three years. We are interested in the length of time a wearable fitness device lasts.

41.

Define the random variable X in words. X = _______________.

42.

X ~ _____(_____,_____)

6.3 Estimating the Binomial with the Normal Distribution

43.

How would you represent the area to the left of one in a probability statement?

Figure 6.13
44.

What is the area to the right of one?

Figure 6.14
45.

Is P(x < 1) equal to P(x ≤ 1)? Why?

46.

How would you represent the area to the left of three in a probability statement?

Figure 6.15
47.

What is the area to the right of three?

Figure 6.16
48.

If the area to the left of x in a normal distribution is 0.123, what is the area to the right of x?

49.

If the area to the right of x in a normal distribution is 0.543, what is the area to the left of x?

Use the following information to answer the next four exercises:

X ~ N(54, 8)

50.

Find the probability that x > 56.

51.

Find the probability that x < 30.

52.

X ~ N(6, 2)

Find the probability that x is between three and nine.

53.

X ~ N(–3, 4)

Find the probability that x is between one and four.

54.

X ~ N(4, 5)

Find the maximum of x in the bottom quartile.

55.

Use the following information to answer the next three exercise: The life of wearable fitness devices is normally distributed with a mean of 4.1 years and a standard deviation of 1.3 years. A wearable fitness device is guaranteed for three years. We are interested in the length of time a wearable fitness device lasts. Find the probability that a wearable fitness device will break down during the guarantee period.

  1. Sketch the situation. Label and scale the axes. Shade the region corresponding to the probability.
    Figure 6.17
  2. P(0 < x < ____________) = ___________ (Use zero for the minimum value of x.)
56.

Find the probability that a wearable fitness device will last between 2.8 and six years.

  1. Sketch the situation. Label and scale the axes. Shade the region corresponding to the probability.
    Figure 6.18
  2. P(__________ < x < __________) = __________
57.

An experiment with a probability of success given as 0.40 is repeated 100 times. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and find the probability the experiment will have at least 45 successes.

58.

An experiment with a probability of success given as 0.30 is repeated 90 times. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and find the probability the experiment will have at least 22 successes.

59.

An experiment with a probability of success given as 0.40 is repeated 100 times. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and find the probability the experiment will have from 35 to 45 successes.

60.

An experiment with a probability of success given as 0.30 is repeated 90 times. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and find the probability the experiment will have from 26 to 30 successes.

61.

An experiment with a probability of success given as 0.40 is repeated 100 times. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and find the probability the experiment will have at most 34 successes.

62.

An experiment with a probability of success given as 0.30 is repeated 90 times. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and find the probability the experiment will have at most 34 successes.

63.

A multiple choice test has a probability any question will be guesses correctly of 0.25. There are 100 questions, and a student guesses at all of them. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and determine the probability at least 30, but no more than 32, questions will be guessed correctly.

64.

A multiple choice test has a probability any question will be guesses correctly of 0.25. There are 100 questions, and a student guesses at all of them. Use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution, and determine the probability at least 24, but no more than 28, questions will be guessed correctly.

Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introductory-business-statistics-2e/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introductory-business-statistics-2e/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jul 7, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.