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BAC2 ss · Mathematics
Statistics · The normal distribution (continuous variable)

Probabilities of an N(0,1)

Everything you need to know about a normal variable, however complicated, always comes down to the same thing: reading an area under the bell curve of $Z \sim N(0,1)$. This section is the manual for that table: how to read it forwards (given a value, its probability) and backwards (given a probability, the value that produces it).

Before you start, make sure you know: The normal distribution (1st Bachillerato)
Before you start, make sure you know: Continuous probability distributions (1st Bachillerato)

The standard normal curve and the table

Bell curve with the area shaded to the left of z = 1,32, representing P(Z ‹= 1,32) = 0,9066. 0 1,32 P(Z ≤ 1,32) = 0,9066
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A study on the time young people spend on a well-known short video social network shows that, once the data are standardised, the variable follows a standard normal…

A study on the time young people spend on a well-known short video social network shows that, once the data are standardised, the variable follows a standard normal distribution $Z \sim N(0,1)$. If we select a user at random, calculate the probability that their usage time is less than or equal to $1,45$ standardised units. Use the graphical representation to identify the required area.

Z 0 1,45 P(Z ≤ 1,45)
Solve
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In a study on the performance of a new artificial intelligence, response times have been standardised following a standard normal distribution $N(0,1)$. Calculate the…

In a study on the performance of a new artificial intelligence, response times have been standardised following a standard normal distribution $N(0,1)$. Calculate the following probabilities using the normal distribution table:

  1. The probability that a standardised time is greater than $1,32$; that is, $P(Z > 1,32)$.

  2. The probability that the time is below $-0,45$; that is, $P(Z < -0,45)$.

−2 −1 1 2 0 −0,45 1,32 P(Z < −0,45) P(Z > 1,32)
Solve

Tails and the complementary event

Bell curve with the right tail shaded from z = a onwards, representing P(Z › a) = 1 - P(Z ‹= a). 0 a P(Z > a)
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In an esports tournament, the reaction time of professional players has been standardised so that it follows a distribution $N(0,1)$. If any value above $0,82$ is…

In an esports tournament, the reaction time of professional players has been standardised so that it follows a distribution $N(0,1)$. If any value above $0,82$ is considered a "slow reaction time", find the probability that a randomly chosen player has a slow reaction time, that is, calculate $P(Z > 0,82)$.

Solve
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Scores on a musical aptitude test for teenagers follow a standard normal distribution $Z \sim N(0,1)$. The music department of a secondary school decides to offer extra…

Scores on a musical aptitude test for teenagers follow a standard normal distribution $Z \sim N(0,1)$. The music department of a secondary school decides to offer extra support to those students whose standardised score is less than $-1,2$. What is the probability that a randomly chosen student needs this extra support?

0 −1,2 Z ∼ N(0, 1) P(Z < −1,2)
Solve

Probability of an interval

Bell curve with the strip between z = a and z = b shaded, representing P(a ‹= Z ‹= b). a b P(a ≤ Z ≤ b)
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A language application logs the daily progress of its users. Vocabulary improvement, after standardising the data, fits a normal distribution $N(0,1)$. Calculate the…

A language application logs the daily progress of its users. Vocabulary improvement, after standardising the data, fits a normal distribution $N(0,1)$. Calculate the probability that a user improves their vocabulary within an interval between $0,5$ and $1,5$ standardised units.

Solve
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Given a continuous random variable that follows a standard normal distribution $Z \sim N(0,1)$, calculate the probability that the variable takes values in the interval…

Given a continuous random variable that follows a standard normal distribution $Z \sim N(0,1)$, calculate the probability that the variable takes values in the interval $[-1,1, 0,4]$. Remember that to solve this type of interval you must apply the formula:

$$P(a \le Z \le b) = P(Z \le b) - P(Z \le a)$$
Solve
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Given a continuous random variable $Z$ following a standard normal distribution $N(0,1)$, find the value of the positive constant $k$ that satisfies each of the…

Given a continuous random variable $Z$ following a standard normal distribution $N(0,1)$, find the value of the positive constant $k$ that satisfies each of the following conditions:

  1. $P(Z \leq k) = 0,8708$

  2. $P(Z > k) = 0,0228$

0 k=? Z 0 k=? Z N(0, 1) N(0, 1) P(Z ≤ k)=0,8708 P(Z > k)=0,0228
Solve

Symmetric intervals and the critical value

Bell curve with the central area between -k and k shaded, representing the symmetric interval P(-k ‹= Z ‹= k). −k k P(−k ≤ Z ≤ k) = p
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In a trainer factory, quality control of sole durability is performed using a standardised variable $Z \sim N(0,1)$. The engineers want to identify the positive value…

In a trainer factory, quality control of sole durability is performed using a standardised variable $Z \sim N(0,1)$. The engineers want to identify the positive value $k$ such that the probability that a sole has a durability less than or equal to $k$ is $0,975$. Look up this value of $k$ in the standard normal table.

Solve
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The queuing time at a music festival, measured in standardised form, follows a distribution $N(0,1)$. The organisers want to determine a central interval $(-k, k)$…

The queuing time at a music festival, measured in standardised form, follows a distribution $N(0,1)$. The organisers want to determine a central interval $(-k, k)$ containing $95\%$ of the attendees. Knowing that $P(-k \le Z \le k) = 0,95$, use the symmetry of the Gaussian bell curve to find the corresponding critical value $z_{\alpha/2}$.

Z 0 -k = ? k = ? 1 - α = 0,95 α/2=0,025 α/2=0,025 P(-k ≤ Z ≤ k) = 0,95 N(0,1)
Solve
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In a study on the efficiency of a new recommendation algorithm for a social network, it was determined that the additional time spent by users follows a standard normal…

In a study on the efficiency of a new recommendation algorithm for a social network, it was determined that the additional time spent by users follows a standard normal distribution $Z \sim N(0,1)$. If the platform wishes to identify the group of "ultra-active" users, who are those whose standardised time lies within a symmetrical interval about the mean containing exactly 88.82% of the population, calculate the critical value $k$ that defines the limits of this interval.

0 -k = ? k = ? Z 88,82% Z ~ N(0,1)
Solve

Summary

See all the exercises in this section