University of Algiers 1 BENYOUCEF BENKHEDDA Academic year : 2024-2025

Statistics and Mathematics / L1. NSL – S1

D.W n°06. Normal distribution

Exercise n°01.
In 1955, Wechler (1896-1981) proposed a test to measure the IQ (Intelligence Quotient) of
adults in a representative sample of the population of a given age. Performance followed a
normal distribution with mean equal to 100 and standard deviation equal to 15.
1. What percentage of individuals have an IQ below 100?
2. What is the chance of obtaining an IQ between :
a. 100 and 110?
b. 95 and 100?
3. Is a person with a score of 69 in the lowest 2% of the distribution?
4. Below what IQ is a quarter of individuals?
5. What is the minimum IQ required to be in the top 5%?
Answer :
We have 𝑋 = "𝑄𝐼" and 𝜇 = 100 and 𝜎 = 15
1. What percentage of individuals have an IQ below 100?
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 100) = ?
We shoul use the standar Normal distribution table, but first we should standrise this
distribution

Let’s calculate 𝑧 :
𝑥−𝜇
𝑧=
𝜎
100 − 100
𝑧=
15
𝑧=0
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 100) = 𝑃(𝑧 ≤ 0)
With direct reading in the table :
𝑃(𝑧 ≤ 0) = 0.5
So, the percentage of individuals have an IQ below 100 is 50%.
2. What is the chance of obtaining an IQ between :
a. 100 and 110?
𝑃(100 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 110)
We already have 𝑧 for 𝑄𝐼 = 100, let’s calculate 𝑧 for 𝑄𝐼 = 110:
110 − 100
𝑧=
15
𝑧 = 0.666

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University of Algiers 1 BENYOUCEF BENKHEDDA Academic year : 2024-2025
Statistics and Mathematics / L1. NSL – S1

So : (𝑧 is between two values of the same sign)

𝑃(100 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 110) = 𝑃(0 ≤ 𝑧 ≤ 0.666) = 𝑃(𝑧 ≤ 0.666) − 𝑃(𝑧 ≤ 0)
𝑃(100 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 110) =0.7486-0.5
𝑃(100 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 110) = 0.2486
c. 95 and 100?

𝑃(95 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 100)
We already have 𝑧 for 𝑄𝐼 = 100, let’s calculate 𝑧 for 𝑄𝐼 = 95 :
95 − 100
𝑧=
15
𝑧 = −0.333
So : (𝑧 is between two values with different signs)
𝑃(95 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 100) = 𝑃(−0.333 ≤ 𝑧 ≤ 0) = 𝑃(𝑧 ≤ 0.333) + 𝑃(𝑧 ≤ 0) − 1
𝑃(95 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 100) = (0.6293 + 0.5) − 1
𝑃(95 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 100) = 0.1293

3. Is a person with a score of 69 in the lowest 2% of the distribution?

We should verify if : 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 69) = 0.02
1st method : Let’s calculate 𝑧 for 𝑄𝐼 = 69 :
69 − 100
𝑧=
15
𝑧 = −2.06
So : (𝑧 is negative)
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 69) = 𝑃(𝑧 ≤ −2.06) = 1 − 𝑃(𝑧 ≥ 2.06)
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 69) = 1 − 0.9803
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 69) = 0.197
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 69) = 1.97% ≅ 2%
Yes, a person with an IQ=69 is in the lowest 2%.

2nd method :
Let’s put : 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 𝑥) = 0.02 and let’s find 𝑥
Step 1 : find 𝑧 (Indirect table reading)
0.02 is the probability to find in the table, but there are no values below 0.5 ! But we
can find the complementary value.
So : 1 − 0.02 = 0.98
The value 0.98 doesn't exist in the table, so we'll take the nearest value, and we know
that 𝑧 is negative (because 0.02 < 0.5).

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University of Algiers 1 BENYOUCEF BENKHEDDA Academic year : 2024-2025
Statistics and Mathematics / L1. NSL – S1

𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 𝑥) = 𝑃(𝑍 ≤ 𝑧) = 0.9803

So : 𝑧 = −(2 + 0.06)
𝑧 = −2.06

Step 2 : Find X :
We know that :
𝑥−𝜇
𝑧=
𝜎
Than : 𝑥 = 𝑧𝜎 + 𝜇
𝑥 = (−2.06 × 15) + 100
𝑥 = 69.1
Yes, a person with an IQ=69 is in the lowest 2%.

4. Below what IQ is a quarter of individuals?

1
Quarter = = 0.25
4
We put : 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 𝑥) = 0.25 and let’s find 𝑥
Step 1 : find 𝑧 (Indirect table reading)
0.25 is the probability to find in the table, but there are no values below 0.5 ! But we
can find the complementary value.
So : 1 − 0.25 = 0.75
The value 0.75 doesn't exist in the table, so we'll take the nearest value, and we know
that 𝑧 is negative (because 0.25 < 0.5).
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 𝑥) = 𝑃(𝑍 ≤ 𝑧) = 0.7486
So : 𝑧 = −(0.6 + 0.07)
𝑧 = −0.67
Step 2 : Find X :
We know that :
𝑥−𝜇
𝑧=
𝜎
Than : 𝑥 = 𝑧𝜎 + 𝜇
𝑥 = (−0.67 × 15) + 100
𝑥 = 89.95
So : a quarter of individuals have an IQ below 89.95.

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University of Algiers 1 BENYOUCEF BENKHEDDA Academic year : 2024-2025
Statistics and Mathematics / L1. NSL – S1
Exercise n°02 :

A laboratory equipment retailer estimates that he can sell 40 items a day. A study has shown
him that, of the various brands available, brand A accounts for 38.6% of the market.
Let X be the random variable which, on a given day, associates the number of brand A
appliances sold that day.
1. Explain why X follows a binomial distribution and specify the parameters of this
distribution.
2. We decide to approximate this distribution by a normal distribution with parameters 𝜇 and 𝜎
Explain why 𝜇 = 15.44 and 𝜎 = 3
3. Y is the random variable with normal distribution 𝑁(15.44 , 3). Give an approximation of
the probability of the event : “on a randomly chosen day, exactly 20 brand A items are sold”,
i.e. calculate 𝑃(19.5 ≤ Y ≤ 20.5).
Answer :
1. Explain why X follows a binomial distribution and specify the parameters of this
distribution.
These 40 independent sales can be likened to a Bernoulli diagram in which the “success” event
is “brand A equipment is sold”, so the random variable X follows the binomial distribution with
parameters 𝑛 = 40 and 𝑝 = 0.386 (brand A accounts for 38.6% of the sales).
2. We decide to approximate this distribution by a normal distribution with parameters 𝜇 and 𝜎
Explain why 𝜇 = 15.44 and 𝜎 = 3
We can approximate the binomial distribution with parameters = 40 and 𝑝 = 0.386 by normal
distribution with parameters 𝜇 = 𝐸(𝑋) = 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 = 𝑛𝑝 and 𝜎 = √𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑋) = √𝑛𝑝𝑞 . So :

𝜇 = 𝑛𝑝 = 40 × 0.386
𝝁 = 𝟏𝟓. 𝟒𝟒

𝜎 = √𝑛𝑝𝑞

(With 𝑞 = 1 − 𝑝 ⇒ 1 − 0.386 ⇒ 𝑞 = 0.614)

𝜎 = √15.44 × 0.614
𝝈 = 𝟑. 𝟎𝟖 ≅ 𝟑
Y is the random variable with normal distribution 𝑁(15.44 , 3). Give an approximation of the
probability of the event : “on a randomly chosen day, exactly 20 brand A items are sold”, i.e.
calculate 𝑃(19.5 ≤ Y ≤ 20.5).
 Let’s calculate the the 𝑧 score for : Y = 19.5
Y−𝜇
𝑧=
𝜎

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University of Algiers 1 BENYOUCEF BENKHEDDA Academic year : 2024-2025
Statistics and Mathematics / L1. NSL – S1
19.5 − 15.44
𝑧=
3
𝒛 = 𝟏. 𝟑𝟓
 Let’s calculate the the 𝑧 score for : Y = 20.5

Y−𝜇
𝑧=
𝜎
20.5 − 15.44
𝑧=
3
𝒛 = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟖
𝑃(19.5 ≤ Y ≤ 20.5) = 𝑃(1.35 ≤ Y ≤ 1.68) = 0, 9535 − 0, 9114 = 0, 0421

Exercise n°03 :
Suppose that the number of medicine boxes produced per hour in a pharmaceutical laboratory
follows a Poisson distribution with a mean of 1000.
What is the probability that 950 or less boxes will be produced per hour?
Answer :
𝜆 = 1000 (mean)
𝜆𝑘 −𝜆
𝑋~𝑃(𝜆): 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑘) = 𝑒
𝑘!
1000950 −1000
𝑋~𝑃(1000): 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 950) = 𝑒
950!
 This cumulative probability cannot be calculated in a simple calculator, and can only be
calculated by an application in a smartphone or computer.
So this probability can be approximated by the normal distribution.
Let Y be the new variable that follows a Normal distribution :
Y ~𝑁(𝜇, 𝜎)

Such as : 𝜇 = 𝜆 = 1000 and : 𝜎 = √𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑋) = √𝜆

Let’s calculte the 𝑧 score :
𝑋−𝜇
𝑧=
𝜎
950 − 1000
𝑧=
√1000
𝑧 = −1.58

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University of Algiers 1 BENYOUCEF BENKHEDDA Academic year : 2024-2025
Statistics and Mathematics / L1. NSL – S1

The 𝑧 score is negative, so :

𝑃(Y ≤ −1.58) = 𝑃(Y ≥ -1.58) = 1 − F(1.58)
= 1 − 0.9429
= 0.0571
(F(1.58) 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑧 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒)
So :
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 950) = 0.0571