Lesson 1.5 - Z-Scores & Empirical Rule

Lesson 1.
5 – z-scores & Empirical Rule
Exploration Activity: Heights of our Class

Collect the heights of the students in the class in the Lists and Spreadsheet document page in your calculator. Use the
Data and Statistics page to create a boxplot of the heights data. Sketch the boxplot on the number line given below.
Then, describe the distribution of heights for the students in class next to the graph you’ve sketched.
Using your calculator, find the summary statistics for the heights data.
MIN Q1 MED Q3 MAX MEAN SD
On the number line above, indicate where the mean is located for the heights data. Also, place on the number line
where 1 standard deviation above and below the mean would be located and also 2 standard deviations above and
below the mean.
Discussion Questions:
 What connections can you make about the location of the mean and median?
 What connections can you make about standard deviation and IQR? Range?
 At what height is the tallest 25% of students in our class located? Approximately how many standard deviations
above the mean is that person located?
 At what height is the short 25% of students in our class located? Approximately how many standard deviations
below the mean is that person located?
Calculating a z – score
Using the known mean and standard deviation of a distribution, we can calculate a z-score for any value in the
distribution using the equation
x−μ
z=
σ
The z-score will tells us the number of standard deviations from the mean the value is located. Positive z – scores tell
us that the value is above the mean; negative z – scores, below the mean.
It is important to realize that if a value is within 1 standard deviation of the mean ( z is between −1 and 1) then we
consider that value to be pretty common. If a value is more than 2 standard deviations from the mean ( z ←2 or z >2)
then we consider that value to be more rare with a small likeliness of occurring.
Mr. Pryor’s class test scores were roughly symmetric with a mean of 80 and a standard deviation of 6.07. To convert the
entire class’s test results to z – scores, we would subtract 80 from each observation and then divide by 6.07.
What effect would these transformations on the data set have on the shape, center, and spread of the distribution?
Center
Spread
Shape
Original Test Score Data

67 76 80 83.50 93 80 6.07
Z-scores Distribution

-2.14 -0.66 0 0.58 2.14 0 1
Check My Understanding
One of our calculus classes also completed the beginning explore activity. A dotplot of the class’s height distribution,
along with summary statistics from the calculator output, are given below.
n x sx
25 67 4.3
Min Q1 Med Q3 Max

60 63 66 68 75
(1) Use this information to sketch a boxplot of the class’s height data in the space provided below the number
line. Then describe the distribution.
(2) The student with a height of 71 inches is approximately how many standard deviations above the mean?
Interpret what this student’s height means in the context of the situation.
(3) The student with a height of 60 inches is approximately how many standard deviations below the mean?
Interpret what this student’s height means in the context of the situation.
The Empirical Rule
Model Problem: Finding Probabilities Using the Empirical Rule

The Wechsler IQ Test is known to describe the IQs of adults as normally distributed with a mean of 100 and standard
deviation of 15.
(a) A randomly chosen person has an IQ of 130. How many standard deviations away from the mean does this
person’s IQ lie? Is their IQ above or below the mean? What percentage of people have an IQ higher than 130?
(b) A randomly chosen person has an IQ of 85. How many standard deviations away from the mean does this
person’s IQ lie? Is there IQ above or below the mean? What percentage of people have an IQ lower than 85?
(c) It is just as likely to find a person at random with an IQ of 115. Explain why this must be true with reasoning
from the Normal Model.
(d) What percentage of all people have IQs between 85 and 130?
Practice Problem
The heights of male students at a local high school follow a Normal Model a mean of 68 inches and a standard deviation
of 3 inches.
(a) What’s the probability that a randomly chosen male student at this school is less than 65 inches tall?
(b) What’s the probability that a randomly chosen male student at this school is taller than 74 inches tall?
What’s the probability that a randomly chosen male student at this school is between 62 inches and 72

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Lesson 1.

5 – z-scores & Empirical Rule

Exploration Activity: Heights of our Class

MIN Q1 MED Q3 MAX MEAN SD

MIN Q1 MED Q3 MAX MEAN SD

Min Q1 Med Q3 Max

Model Problem: Finding Probabilities Using the Empirical Rule

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