Paul is15years old and 179cm tall.

(a) Find the z-score corresponding to Paul’s height. Explain what this value means.

(b) Paul’s height puts him at the85th percentile among 15-year-old males. Explain what this means to someone who knows no statistics.

Short Answer

Expert verified

(a)The z-score corresponding to Paul's height is1.2standard deviations above the mean.
(b)Paul is taller than 85%of the entire population of 15-year-old males.

Step by step solution

01

Part (a) Step 1: Given information

The distribution of heights for 15-year-old males is symmetric, single-peaked, and bell-shaped.

z-score of 0corresponds to a heightlocalid="1649751998639" =170cm

z-score of 1corresponds to a height of localid="1649752004677" =177.5cm

Find the z-score corresponding to Paul’s height.

02

Part (a) Step 2: Explanation

Given:

x=179cmμ=170cmσ=7.5cm

In other words, it is the mean divided by the standard deviation divided by the value of the z-score

z=x-μσ=179-1707.5=1.20

localid="1649752085470" 1.2standard deviations above the mean, Paul's height is higher than the average.

03

Part (b)Step 1: Given information

The distribution of heights for15-year-old males is symmetric, single-peaked, and bell-shaped.

z-score of0corresponds to a height of

localid="1649752116086" z-score of 1corresponds to a height oflocalid="1649752017672" =177.5cm

04

Part (b) Step 2: Explanation

Given:

Paul's height=85thpercentile

As a percentage, the xthpercentile represents a value that hasx%of the other values below it.

A 15-year-old male who is taller than Paul exceeds 85%of the entire population.

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