LESSON 10:

Converting a Normal
Random Variable to
a Standard Normal
ACTIVITY 1: ARRANGE ME!

A E M N
MEAN
ACTIVITY 1: ARRANGE ME!
DRASNTDA
N D VAI T O E I
STANDARD DEVIATION
ACTIVITY 1: ARRANGE ME!

E C O S R -Z
Z- SCORE
ACTIVITY 1: ARRANGE ME!
LAR O N M
TOINISUDRBIT
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
UNDERSTANDING THE Z-SCORES
The z-scores are measure of relative
standing. These scores represent
distances from the center measured
in standard deviation units. There are
six z-scores at the baseline of the
normal curve: three scores to the left
of the mean and three z-scores to
the right of the mean.
In solving real-life problems involving the normal
curve, it is particularly important to convert a
random variable x to a standard normal variable or
z-score. This procedure is known as
“standardizing” or “standardization” of a random
variable, where a standardized value is called a
z-score. A z-score is a measure of the number of
standard deviations (σ) a particular data value is
away from the mean (μ).
Suppose your score on a test in Probability and Statistics is
39 and the scores are normally distributed with a mean of
33 and standard deviation of 3, then your score is exactly 2
standard deviations above the mean. If you scored 30,
then it is exactly 1 standard deviation below the mean. All
values that are above the mean have positive z-scores and
all values that are below the mean have negative z-scores.
If you obtained a z-score of -3, this means that your score
is 3 standard deviations below the mean, that is,
33 – 3(3) = 33 – 9 = 24
Given any value x from a normal
distribution with mean μ and standard
deviation σ, to convert x to a z-score
(standard normal score), you need to;
(a) Subtract the mean μ from x.
(b) Divide this quantity, 𝑥 – 𝜇, by the
standard deviation σ.
The formula used in converting a random
variable x to a standard normal variable z is:

where:
𝑧 – standard normal score or z – score
𝑥 – any data value in a normal distribution
𝜇 - mean
𝜎 - standard deviation
EXAMPLE 1.
Suppose IQ scores are normally distributed with a mean of
100 and standard deviation of 10. If your IQ is 85, what is
your z-score? (Round off your answer to the nearest
hundredths)
SOLUTION:
EXAMPLE 2. (TRY THIS!)
On a nationwide placement test that is normally distributed,
the mean was 125 and standard deviation was 15. If you
scored 149, what was your z-score?
(Round off your answer to the nearest hundredths)
SOLUTION:
EXAMPLE 3.
The heights of teachers in Pontevedra National High School
are normally distributed with a mean of 150 cm and
standard deviation of 15 cm. The height of Sir Joven has a z-
score of 3.25. What is the actual height of Sir Joven? (Round
off your answer to the nearest hundredths)
SOLUTION:
In this example, z-score is given while the normal random
variable is unknown. To solve for the normal random
variable x, multiply the z-score (z) by the standard deviation
σ, then add the mean μ.
SOLUTION:
Therefore; 𝑥 = 𝑧𝜎 + 𝜇
= 3.25(15 cm) + 150 cm
= 48.75 cm + 150 cm
𝑥 = 198.75 𝑐m
EXAMPLE 4. (TRY THIS!)
The time it takes for a cell to divide is normally distributed
with an average of 60 minutes and standard deviation of 5
minutes. How long will it take for a given cell to divide if its
“mitosis” has a z-score of -1.35?
SOLUTION:
𝑥 = 𝑧𝜎 + 𝜇
= -1.35(5 min) + 60 min
= -6.75 min + 60 min
𝒙 = 𝟓𝟑. 𝟐𝟓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔
SEATWORK:
A. Find Me
Supply the needed information by solving the missing
value. Round off your answer in 2 decimals.
1. x = 25, µ= 40, σ = 6, z = ?
2. z = -2.25, µ= 218, σ = 36, x = ?
3. x = 39, µ= 30, σ = 3, z = ?
4. x = 125, µ= 105, σ = 8, z = ?
5. z = 1.11, µ= 145, σ = 20, x =?
B. Solve Me Solve the following problems.
1. The mean number of hours a Filipino worker spends on
the computer is 3.1 hours per workday. Assume the
standard deviation is 0.5 hour and is normally distributed,
how long does a worker spend on the computer if his z-
score is 1.2?
2. Each month, a Filipino household generates an average of
28 pounds of newspaper for garbage or recycling. Assume the
standard deviation is 2 pounds. Determine the z-score of a
household that generates 22 pounds of newspaper.
SEATWORK:
A. Find Me
Supply the needed information by solving the missing
value. Round off your answer in 2 decimals.
1. x = 25, µ= 40, σ = 6, z = ?-2.5
2. z = -2.25, µ= 218, σ = 36, x = ?137
3. x = 39, µ= 30, σ = 3, z = ? 3
4. x = 125, µ= 105, σ = 8, z = ?2.5
5. z = 1.11, µ= 145, σ = 20, x =? 167.2
B. Solve Me Solve the following problems.
1. The mean number of hours a Filipino worker spends on
the computer is 3.1 hours per workday. Assume the
standard deviation is 0.5 hour and is normally distributed,
how long does a worker spend on the computer if his z-
score is 1.2? 3. 7 hours
2. Each month, a Filipino household generates an average of
28 pounds of newspaper for garbage or recycling. Assume the
standard deviation is 2 pounds. Determine the z-score of a
household that generates 22 pounds of newspaper.
Z=-3