Lecture 12

REFERENCES

➢ Larson R, Farber B, Elementary Statistics Picturing the World. 5th Ed, Pearson.

➢ Walpole, R. E., Myers, R. H., and S. L. Myers (2011), Probability and Statistics
for Engineers and Scientists, 9th ed., Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey.
WHAT YOU SHOULD LEARN?

➢ How to decide when a normal distribution can approximate a binomial

distribution.
➢How to use a normal distribution to approximate binomial probabilities
The relationship between the binomial and normal distribution is the binomial
distribution is nicely approximated by the normal in practical problems. We
now state a theorem that allows us to use areas under the normal curve to
approximate binomial properties when n is sufficiently large.
(Larson R, Farber B p.g. 281):
(Larson R, Farber B p.g. 281):
Example 1: (Larson R, Farber B p.g. 282):
Two binomial experiments are listed. Decide whether you can use the
normal distribution to approximate x, the number of people who reply
yes. If you can, find the mean and standard deviation. If you cannot,
explain why?
1. Sixty-two percent of adults in the United States have an HDTV in their
home. You randomly select 45 adults in the United States and ask them if
they have an HDTV in their home.
2. Twelve percent of adults in the United States who do not have an HDTV
in their home are planning to purchase one in the next two years. You
randomly select 30 adults in the United States who do not have an HDTV
and ask them if they are planning to purchase one in the next two years.
(Larson R, Farber B p.g. 282):
Try it your self 1: (Larson R, Farber B p.g. 282):
Consider the following binomial experiment. Decide whether you can use the
normal distribution to approximate x, the number of people who reply yes. If
you can, find the mean and standard deviation. If you cannot, explain why.
Five percent of adults in the United States are planning to purchase a
3D TV in the next two years. You randomly select 125 adults in the
United States and ask them if they are planning to purchase a 3D TV in
the next two years.
a. Identify n, p, and q.
b. Find the products 𝒏𝒑 and 𝒏𝒒.
c. Decide whether you can use a normal distribution to approximate x.
d. Find the mean and standard deviation if appropriate
Solution:

c. Decide whether you can use a normal distribution to approximate x.

normal distribution can be used

d. Find the mean and standard deviation if appropriate

(Larson R, Farber B p.g. 284):
 (Larson R, Farber B p.g. 285):

Fifty-eight percent of adults say that they never wear a helmet when
riding a bicycle. You randomly select 200 adults in the United States and
ask them if they wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. What is the
probability that at least 120 adults will say they never wear a helmet
when riding a bicycle?
Example 6.15 (Walpole et. al. (2007) p.g.191)
The probability that a patient recovers from a rare blood disease is 0.4. If 100
people are known to have contracted this disease, what is the probability that
less than 30 survive?
Solution:
Example 6.16 (Walpole et. al. (2007) p.g.192)
A multiple-choice quiz has 200 questions each with 4 possible answers of
which only 1 is the correct answer. What is the probability that sheer
guesswork yields from 25 to 30 correct answers for 80 of the 200 problems
about which the student
has no knowledge?
Solution: