Final answer:
For question a, the standard deviation is approximately 15.12. For question b, the standard deviation is approximately 35.35.
Step-by-step explanation:
For question a:
a) MEN5A is an organization whose members have IQs in the top 2% of the population. IQs are normally distributed with a mean of 102 and the minimum IQ score required for admission to MENSA is 133. To find the standard deviation, we can use the formula:
SD = (X - μ) / z
Where SD is the standard deviation, X is the IQ score, μ is the mean, and z is the z-score.
Using the given data, to find the standard deviation:
SD = (133 - 102) / z
Since MENSA members have IQs in the top 2% of the population, we can use the z-score table to find the z-value corresponding to the top 2%.
From the z-score table, the z-value for the top 2% is approximately 2.05.
Substituting the values:
SD = (133 - 102) / 2.05
Simplifying:
SD = 31 / 2.05
SD ≈ 15.12 (rounded to two decimal places)
Therefore, the standard deviation for the given situation is approximately 15.12.
For question b:
b) The cholesterol levels for women aged 20 to 34 follow an approximately normal distribution with a mean of 187 mg/dl and a standard deviation that we need to find. About 18.5% of women have high cholesterol levels above 222 mg/dl.
We can use the z-score formula to find the standard deviation:
z = (X - μ) / σ
To find the standard deviation, we need to find the X value corresponding to the 18.5% percentile using the z-score table.
From the z-score table, the z-value for the 18.5% percentile is approximately -0.99.
Substituting the values:
-0.99 = (222 - 187) / σ
Simplifying:
-0.99σ = 35
σ ≈ -35 / -0.99
σ ≈ 35.35 (rounded to two decimal places)
Therefore, the standard deviation for the given situation is approximately 35.35.