Assume the body temperatures of healthy adults are normally distributed with a mean of 98.20 °F and a standard deviation of 0.62 °F (based on data from the University of Maryland researchers).

Question

Bellevue Hospital in New York City uses 100.6 °F as the lowest temperature considered to indicate a fever. What percentage of normal and healthy adults would be considered to have a fever? Does this percentage suggest that a cutoff of 100.6 °F is appropriate?

Answer 1

I ran your data through my favourite and trusty
normal distribution calculator
http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/z_table.html

and at 100.6F only about .0054% would be considered to have a fever according to the hospital's criteria.