MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World

Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Lesson title: Probabilities of Normal Distribution Materials: Student Activity Sheets

Calculator
Learning Targets: References:
At the end of the module, students will be able to: Elementary Statistics b Altares, P. et
1. Understand what a normal distribution is and why it’s al, (2005)
important. Basic Statistics with Probability by
2. Use probabilities and percentage areas under standard Mercado-Del Rosario, a. (2005)
normal curves to better understand data. www.stattrek.com
3. Solve real-life problems that involve probabilities under https://www.hackmath.net/en/calculator/no
normal curves. rmal-distribution

Productivity Tip:People are most productive when they’re well rested and well nourished. Give yourself
plenty of time to sleep, and choose nutritious foods to fuel your body whenever possible. While it may seem
like self-care takes up too much time, it ultimately helps you stay calm and focused so you can get more
done.

A. CONNECT
A.1 Lesson Preview/Review

Welcome to the world of normal distribution! Imagine measuring the height of everyone in our class. Most
students will be around the same height, a few will be shorter, and a few will be taller. If we made a graph of
everyone’s height, it would look like a bell. Let's get started on our learning journey!

A.2 Before we proceed to our main lesson, let us first solve the problem.

A student goes to the library. The probability that she checks out (a) a work of fiction is 0.40, (b) a work of
nonfiction is 0.30, and (c) both fiction and non-fiction is 0.20. What is the probability that the student checks out
a work of fiction, non-fiction, or both?

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

A. COACH

A.1 Content Notes

Topic: Probabilities of Normal Distribution
Reading Comprehension Strategy: Definition and Description

Instructions: We have been practicing the reading comprehension strategy of definition and description. In this
lesson, you will read and understand the material independently using this strategy. The content notes are
provided below. Let's begin!

Normal distributions are important because they help us understand how different values are spread out.
For example, most people will have heights around the average, and fewer people will be much shorter or much
taller than average. A special type of normal distribution is called the standard normal distribution. This has an
average (mean) of 0 and a standard deviation of 1, which means it's perfectly centered and has a spread that's
easy to compare with other data.

Learning about normal distributions is important because they help us see patterns in data. Normal
distributions help us understand the world better by showing how different values are spread out.

Characteristics of a Standard Normal Distribution

1. All normal distributions are symmetric

and have bell-shaped density curves with a
single peak.

*The ends of the curve don't touch the x-axis because they
get closer and closer to it but never actually reach it. These
ends are called asymptotes, which means they approach the
horizontal line without ever touching it.

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

2. The standard normal distribution is

normal distribution with a mean of 0 and
standard deviation of 1.

3. The standard normal distribution has

● mean = median = mode
● symmetry about the centre
● 50% of values less than the mean
and 50% greater than the mean

4. The standard normal distribution is a

continuous probability distribution showing
the following:

● The area under the standard

normal curve makes up probability.
● Looking at the curve to the right, it
shows that the entire area under
the normal curve adds up to 1.

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

5. A normal distribution can be

standardized. This standardization lets us
compare values from different distributions
using the same scale. It can be transformed
into the standard normally distributed
variable by using the formula form the
standard score:
𝑥−𝜇 𝑥−𝑥
𝑧= 𝜎 or 𝑧 =
𝑠

Where:
x – normal value
μ and 𝑥 – means of population and
sample, respectively
σ and s – standard deviations of population
and sample, respectively.

WORDS DEFINITION DESCRIPTION OR IMPORTANCE

Normal
Distributions

Standard
normal
distribution
Asymptotic

Standard score

B.2 Skill Building Activity

Part 1. Standardization: Converting x-values into z-scores.

The following are scores of 5 students who took a certain screening test.

Jerry, 134 Jay-R, 172 Gemark, 160 Rosie, 145 Kier, 150

If the average score is μ = 150 and the standard deviation is σ = 20, what can we understand by using their
z-scores?

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Solution: Convert each score to z-score. I will do the first 3 and you do the last 2.

Jerry, 134 Jay-r, 172 Gemark, 160 Kier, 150 Rosie, 145

𝟏𝟑𝟒 − 𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝟏𝟕𝟐 − 𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝟏𝟔𝟎 − 𝟏𝟓𝟎

𝒛= 𝒛= 𝒛=
𝟐𝟎 𝟐𝟎 𝟐𝟎
= −𝟎. 𝟖𝟎 = 𝟏. 𝟏 = 𝟎. 𝟓

It can be gleaned from their z-scores that

● Jerry and Rosie scored 0.8 and 0.25 standard deviations below the mean, respectively. Their score is
below average.
● Jay-R and Gemark scored 1.1 and 0.5 standard deviations above the mean, respectively. Their score is
above average.
● Kier scored exactly at the mean. His score is average.

These z-scores help us quickly see who performed below, at, or above the mean and by how much in
terms of standard deviations.

Part 2. Let us now solve for the area under the normal curve: Areas (probabilities) are typically measured
from the specified z-score to the left. We are going to use cases in the standard normal distribution to solve
real-life problems.

Case 1. P ( z < a ). This case involves finding the probability that a standard normal random variable
z is less than a given z-score a.
Case 2. P ( z > a ). This case involves finding the probability that a standard normal random variable
z is greater than a given z-score a.
Case 3. P ( a < z < b ). This case involves finding the probability that a standard normal random variable
z falls between two specific z-scores a and b.

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

From the records of XYZ University, there were 1564 freshmen students who took the IQ test during the
1st Semester of S.Y. 2018 – 2019. Assume that the IQ test scores are normally distributed with a mean of
108 and a standard deviation of 12. How many students have IQ scores (a) below 100; (b) above 120; and
(c) between 95 and 125?

Solution:
Given: x̄ = 108; s = 12
a. How many students have IQ scores below 100?
To find this, we'll use Case 1 in normal distribution. We'll first standardize the value 100.
𝑥−𝑥 100−108
Convert x = 100 to z-score: 𝑧= = = −0.67
𝑠 12

Now, we'll find the probability of having an IQ score below 100 using the standard normal
distribution table. From the table, we find that the probability corresponding to z = -0.67
is approximately 0.2514. Then P(z < -0.67)=0.2514.

To find the number of students, we multiply the probability by the total number of students:
Number of students = Probability * Total number of students
Number of students = 0.2514∗1564 = 393.19

Since we can't have a fraction of a student, we round off 393.19 to the nearest whole number.
So, approximately 393 students have IQ scores below 100.

b. How many students have IQ scores above 120?

To find this, we'll use Case 2 in normal distribution. Similarly, we'll standardize the value 120.
𝑥−𝑥 120−108
Convert x = 120 to z-score: 𝑧= = = 1.00
𝑠 12

Now, we'll find the probability of having an IQ score above 120 using the standard normal
distribution table. From the table, we find that the probability corresponding to z = 1.00
is approximately 0.8413. Since the total area of the curve is 1, then

P(z > 1.00 ) = 1 – P (z > 1.00 ) = 1 – 0.8413 = 0.1587

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Thus, the area to the above of z = 1.00 is 0.1587

Number of students = 0.1587∗1564=____________.

Again, rounding off ____________ to the nearest whole number, approximately ____________
students have IQ scores above 120.

c) How many students have IQ scores between 95 and 125?

To find this, we'll use Case 3 in normal distribution. We'll standardize both 95 and 125.
𝑥−𝑥 95−108
For 95: 𝑧= = = −1.083
𝑠 12
𝑥−𝑥 125−108
For 125: 𝑧= = = 1.42
𝑠 12

Now, we'll find the probabilities corresponding to these z-scores using the standard normal
distribution table.
The probability corresponding to z = - 1.08 is approximately 0.1401.
The probability corresponding to z = 1.42 is approximately 0.9222.

Now, we'll subtract the probability of having IQ scores below 95 from the probability of having IQ
scores below 125 to find the probability of having IQ scores between 95 and 125. Remember that
the reckoning of areas is from the specified z score to the left. In this case the areas of the given z-
scores overlapped.
0.9222 − 0.1401= ________

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International License.
 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Number of students =____________ x 1564=____________.

Again, rounding off ____________ to the nearest whole number, approximately ____________
students have IQ scores between 95 and 125.

You may also use an online calculator to check your answers. Check the link below for an example of an
online calculator that you may use. Explore it and compare your answers in the SAS.
https://www.hackmath.net/en/calculator/normal-distribution

C. CHECK
C.1 Check for Understanding

Solve the following problems and answer questions that follows.

1. A pizza parlor franchise specifies that the average amount of cheese on a large pizza should be 8 oz
and the standard deviation only 0.5 oz. An inspector picks out a large pizza at random in one of the
pizza parlors and finds that it is made with 6.9 oz of cheese. Assume that the amount of cheese on a
pizza follows a normal distribution. If the amount of cheese is below the mean by more than three
standard deviations, the parlor will be in danger of losing its franchise. How many standard deviations
from the mean is 6.9 oz? Is the pizza parlor in danger of losing its franchise?

Solution:

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

2. A hospital wants to determine the appropriate dosage of a medication for a certain condition. The
effectiveness of the medication is known to follow a normal distribution with a mean dosage of 150 mg
and a standard deviation of 20 mg. What percentage of patients should receive a dosage between 130
mg and 170 mg for the medication to be effective?
Solution:

D. CONCLUDE
D.1 Summary / Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does it mean to be normally distributed?

To be normally distributed means that most of the data points are close to the average value. They
form a bell-shaped curve where most of the points are in the middle, and fewer points are at the high
and low ends.

2. Why is it important to assume a normal distribution?

It is important to assume a normal distribution because it helps us make predictions and
understand data better. Many things in the real world, like people's heights or test scores, follow
this pattern. Using a normal distribution makes it easier to calculate probabilities and make
decisions based on data.

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International License.
 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

D.2 Thinking about Learning

1. What did you learn today that you found most interesting?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What strategies do you use to remember new information?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

D.3. Glossary of Terms

Symmetry about the centre - means that the left side of the distribution is a mirror image of the
right side when centered at the mean.

Standardization - it converts different scores to a common scale to help compare scores from
different tests or measurements by showing how far each score is from the average in terms of
standard deviations.

Learning Modules by PHINMA Education is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
International License.
 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Learning Modules by PHINMA Education is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
International License.
 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #11

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Learning Modules by PHINMA Education is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
International License.