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Exam-Style Questions.

Problems adapted from questions set for previous Mathematics exams.

1.

IB Studies

The heights of palm trees along a beach are normally distributed with a mean of 4.55m and a standard deviation of 0.37m.

(a) Find the probability that a randomly chosen tree has a height greater than 4.55m.

(b) Find the probability that a randomly chosen tree will be within 2 standard deviations of the mean. Give your answer as an integer percentage.

(c) Use your graphic display calculator to calculate the probability that a randomly chosen tree will have a height greater than 4m.

(d) The probability that a particular tree is less than \(x\) metres tall is 0.75. Find the value of \(x\).


2.

IB Studies

A group of students sat a Biology examination and a Computer Studies examination. The students' marks in the Biology examination are normally distributed with a mean of 70 and a standard deviation of 9.

(a) Draw a diagram that shows this information.

(b) Find the probability that a randomly chosen student who sat the Biology examination scored at most 70 marks.

Eric scored 82 marks in the Biology examination.

(c) Find the probability that a randomly chosen student who sat the Biology examination scored more than Eric.

The students' marks in the Computer Studies examination are normally distributed with a mean of 68 and a standard deviation of 11. Eric also scored 82 marks in the Computer Studies examination.

(d) Find the probability that a randomly chosen candidate who sat the Computer Studies examination scored less than Eric.

(e) Determine whether Eric's Computer Studies mark, compared to the other students, is better than his mark in Biology. Give a reason for your answer.

To obtain a grade A a student must be in the top 12% of the students who sat the Computer Studies examination.

(f) Find the minimum possible mark to obtain a grade A. Give your answer correct to the nearest integer.


3.

IB Analysis and Approaches

The time in minutes taken to drive through a city at different times of the day can be modelled by a normal distribution with mean of 45 and standard deviation of 12. A commuter will be late for work if it takes more than an hour to drive through the city.

(a) Find the probability that the commuter is late for work.

(b) Estimate the number of days on which the commuter was late from random sample of 100 days.

(c) Given that the commuter is not late, find the probability that the cross-city journey took less than 25 minutes.


4.

IB Analysis and Approaches

The heights, H metres, of flowers called Xylothorn Blooms growing in the dense forests of Verdantem on the luminous planet Aurorion can be modelled by a normal distribution with mean 14.3 metres and standard deviation 3.9 metres.

Xylothorn Blooms

(a) One of the flowers is selected at random. Find the probability that its height more than 15.5 metres.

According to this model, 40% of the flowers have a height between \(x\) metres and 15.5 metres.

(b) Find the probability that a randomly selected flower has a height less than \(x\) metres.

(c) Find the value of \(x\).

(d) Ten flowers are selected at random.

Find the probability that no more than two of the flowers has a height less than \(x\) metres.


5.

IB Standard

A random variable \(X\) is normally distributed with \(\mu=250\) and \(\sigma=25\).

Find the interquartile range of \(X\).


6.

IB Standard

The weights in grams of 98 mice are shown in the cumulative frequency diagram. The heaviest mouse weighted 160g.

(a) Write down the median weight of the mice.

(b) Find the percentage of mice that weigh 70 grams or less.

The same data is presented in the following table.

Weights w grams0 < w ≤ 40 40 < w ≤ 8080 < w ≤ 120120 < w ≤ 160
Frequencyp63q3

(c) Find the value of p.

(d) Find the value of q.

(e) Use the values from the table to estimate the mean and standard deviation of the weights.

A second batch of mice are normally distributed with the same mean and standard deviation as those of the first group mentioned above.

(f) Find the percentage of the second batch of mice that weigh 70 grams or less.

(g) A sample of five mice is chosen at random from the second batch. Find the probability that at most three mice weigh 70 grams or less.


7.

IB Standard

The weights of players in a sports league are normally distributed with a mean of 75.2 kg, (correct to three significant figures). It is known that 75% of the players have weights between 67 kg and 80 kg. The probability that a player weighs less than 67 kg is 0.05.

(a) Find the probability that a player weighs more than 80 kg.

(b) Write down the standardized value, z, for 67 kg.

(c) Hence, find the standard deviation of weights.

To take part in a tournament, a player's weight must be within 1.5 standard deviations of the mean.

(d) Find the set of all possible weights of players that take part in the tournament.

(e) A player is selected at random. Find the probability that the player takes part in the tournament.

Of the players in the league, 22% are women. Of the women, 60% take part in the tournament.

(f) Given that a player selected at random takes part in the tournament, find the probability that the selected player is a woman.


8.

IB Standard

Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5cm to 4m. In a certain lake the length of the eels are normally distributed with a mean of 84cm and a standard deviation of 18cm. Eels are classified as giant eels if they are more than 120 cm long.

eel

An eel is selected at random from the lake.

(a) Find the probability that this eel is a giant.

(b) Given that this eel is a giant, find the probability that it is longer than 130cm.

(c) Two eels are selected at random. Find the probability that they are both giants.

100 eels are selected at random.

(d) Find the expected number of these eels that are giants.

(e) Find the probability that at least 5 of these eels are giants.


9.

IB Analysis and Approaches

The length, \(X\) minutes , of a certain category of online video is normally distributed with a mean of 28.

The probability that \(X\) is less than 20 is 0.213.

(a) Find \(P(20 \lt X \lt 28)\).

(b) Find the standard deviation of \(X\).

(c) Hence, find the probability that a video selected at random from this category lasts longer than 33 minutes

A random sample of 12 videos from this category are downloaded.

(d) How many of these videos could be expected to last longer than 33 minutes?

(e) Find the probability that exactly two of these videos last longer than 33 minutes.

(f) A video selected at random from the complete online collection of videos in this category has a running time of less than 20 minutes. Find the probability that its length is between ten and fifteen minutes.


10.

IB Standard

The length of Costlow's bâtard bread loaves in centimetres is normally distributed with mean \( \mu \). The following table shows probabilities for values of \(L\).

Length (\(L\)) \(L \lt 30\) \(30 \le L \le 42\) \(L \gt 42\)
P(X) 0.07 0.86 \(k\)

(a) Calculate the value of \(k\).

(b) Show that \( \mu \) = 36.

(c) Find P(\(L \gt 39\)).

The loaves are displayed in baskets of twelve. Any loaves with a length less than 31cm are classified as short.

(d) Find the probability that a basket of loaves selected at random contains at most one loaf that is short.

(e) Each Costlow supermarket has 40 baskets of loaves. One of the Costlow supermarkets is selected at random. Find the expected number of baskets in this supermarket that contain at most one loaf that is too short.

(f) Find the probability that at least 28 baskets in this supermarket contain at most one loaf that is too short.

Batard Bread

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The exam-style questions appearing on this site are based on those set in previous examinations (or sample assessment papers for future examinations) by the major examination boards. The wording, diagrams and figures used in these questions have been changed from the originals so that students can have fresh, relevant problem solving practice even if they have previously worked through the related exam paper.

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