Using the Central Limit Theorem. In Exercises 5–8, assume that the amounts of weight that male college students gain during their freshman year are normally distributed with a mean of 1.2 kg and a standard deviation of 4.9 kg (based on Data Set 13 “Freshman 15” in Appendix B).


a. If 1 male college student is randomly selected, find the probability that he gains between 0.5 kg and 2.5 kg during freshman year.

Ergonomics. Exercises 9–16 involve applications to ergonomics, as described in the Chapter Problem.

Safe Loading of Elevators The elevator in the car rental building at San Francisco International Airport has a placard stating that the maximum capacity is “4000 lb—27 passengers.” Because 4000/27=148, this converts to a mean passenger weight of 148 lb when the elevator is full. We will assume a worst-case scenario in which the elevator is filled with 27 adult males. Based on Data Set 1 “Body Data” in Appendix B, assume that adult males have weights that are normally distributed with a mean of 189 lb and a standard deviation of 39 lb.

a. Find the probability that 1 randomly selected adult male has a weight greater than 148 lb.

Ergonomics. Exercises 9–16 involve applications to ergonomics, as described in the Chapter Problem.

Water Taxi Safety Passengers died when a water taxi sank in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Men are typically heavier than women and children, so when loading a water taxi, assume a worst-case scenario in which all passengers are men. Assume that weights of men are normally distributed with a mean of 189 lb and a standard deviation of 39 lb (based on Data Set 1 “Body Data” in Appendix B). The water taxi that sank had a stated capacity of 25 passengers, and the boat was rated for a load limit of 3500 lb.

a. Given that the water taxi that sank was rated for a load limit of 3500 lb, what is the maximum mean weight of the passengers if the boat is filled to the stated capacity of 25 passengers?

Body Temperatures Listed below are body temperatures (°F) of adult males (based on Data Set 5 “Body Temperatures” in Appendix B).

97.6 98.2 99.6 98.7 99.4 98.2 98.0 98.6 98.6

a. Find the mean. Does the result seem reasonable?

Transformations The heights (in inches) of women listed in Data Set 1 “Body Data” in Appendix B have a distribution that is approximately normal, so it appears that those heights are from a normally distributed population.

a. If 2 inches is added to each height, are the new heights also normally distributed?

Smartphones Based on an LG smartphone survey, assume that 51% of adults with smartphones use them in theaters. In a separate survey of 250 adults with smartphones, it is found that 109 use them in theaters.

a. If the 51% rate is correct, find the probability of getting 109 or fewer smartphone owners who use them in theaters.

Mendelian Genetics When Mendel conducted his famous genetics experiments with peas, one sample of offspring consisted of 929 peas, with 705 of them having red flowers. If we assume, as Mendel did, that under these circumstances, there is a 3/4 probability that a pea will have a red flower, we would expect that 696.75 (or about 697) of the peas would have red flowers, so the result of 705 peas with red flowers is more than expected.

a. If Mendel’s assumed probability is correct, find the probability of getting 705 or more peas with red flowers.