Solved on Dec 13, 2023
Find the probability that a standard normal random variable is less than 0.24 or greater than or equal to -0.42.
STEP 1
Assumptions
1. We are dealing with a standard normal distribution, which is symmetric about the mean, .
2. We want to find the probability that is either less than or greater than or equal to .
3. The probability of any event in a standard normal distribution can be found using the standard normal distribution table or a calculator with statistical functions.
STEP 2
The probability that is less than can be found directly using the standard normal distribution table or statistical functions on a calculator.
STEP 3
To find , we look up the value of in the standard normal distribution table or use a statistical calculator.
STEP 4
The probability that is greater than or equal to can be found by subtracting the probability that is less than from , since the total area under the standard normal curve is .
STEP 5
To find , we look up the value of in the standard normal distribution table or use a statistical calculator. Remember that due to the symmetry of the standard normal distribution, .
STEP 6
Now we can calculate using the value found in the previous step.
STEP 7
The probability that is either less than or greater than or equal to is the sum of the probabilities found in steps 3 and 6.
STEP 8
Add the two probabilities together to find the final answer.
STEP 9
Assuming we have found the values from the standard normal distribution table or a statistical calculator:
Let's say and , then we can write:
STEP 10
Now, plug in the values for and to get the numerical answer.
For example, if and , then:
STEP 11
Calculate the final probability.
However, since the total probability cannot exceed , we must realize that there is an overlap in the events and . This overlap is exactly the probability , which we have mistakenly counted twice.
STEP 12
To correct the double-counting, we subtract the overlap probability from the sum we calculated.
STEP 13
Now, subtract the overlap probability from the sum we calculated in step 11.
STEP 14
The final probability is therefore , which makes sense because the events and cover the entire range of possibilities for a standard normal distribution.
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