To determine the percentage of the data that falls within 2 standard deviations of the mean using the Empirical Rule (also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule), we first need to understand the rule itself:
- Approximately 68% of the data lies within 1 standard deviation of the mean.
- Approximately 95% of the data lies within 2 standard deviations of the mean.
- Approximately 99.7% of the data lies within 3 standard deviations of the mean.
Given:
- Mean (\( \mu \)) = 43.33
- Population Standard Deviation (\( \sigma \)) = 6.47
To find the range within 2 standard deviations:
- Lower Bound: \( \mu - 2\sigma = 43.33 - 2(6.47) = 43.33 - 12.94 = 30.39 \)
- Upper Bound: \( \mu + 2\sigma = 43.33 + 2(6.47) = 43.33 + 12.94 = 56.27 \)
Next, we can check how many of the provided data points fall within the range of 30.39 to 56.27.
The dataset provided is:
- 43.16, 46.10, 43.01, 35.65, 53.15, 43.19, 47.19, 53.75, 43.57,
- 35.60, 37.28, 44.47, 44.64, 38.51, 32.34, 47.81, 31.04,
- 50.02, 49.06, 47.25
Now we can count how many of these values fall within the bounds of 30.39 and 56.27:
- 43.16 (in)
- 46.10 (in)
- 43.01 (in)
- 35.65 (in)
- 53.15 (in)
- 43.19 (in)
- 47.19 (in)
- 53.75 (in)
- 43.57 (in)
- 35.60 (in)
- 37.28 (in)
- 44.47 (in)
- 44.64 (in)
- 38.51 (in)
- 32.34 (in)
- 47.81 (in)
- 31.04 (in)
- 50.02 (in)
- 49.06 (in)
- 47.25 (in)
All 20 data points fall within the range of 30.39 to 56.27.
Thus, 100% of the data lies within 2 standard deviations of the mean.
Now, we evaluate if a normal curve can be used to model the data. The Empirical Rule states that for a normal distribution, approximately 95% of the data should lie within 2 standard deviations of the mean. Since we found that 100% of the data falls within this range, we can say that a normal curve can effectively model the data as it is consistent with the expectations of the Empirical Rule.
The correct response would therefore be:
100 percent of the data falls within 2 standard deviations of the mean. A normal curve can be used to model the data, because this is approximately 95% of the data.