Math Problem Statement

The amount of time travellers at an airport spend with customs officers has a mean of  μ =32 μ =32 seconds and a standard deviation of  σ =11 seconds. For a random sample of 45 travellers, what is the probability that their mean time spent with customs officers will be:

Standard Normal Distribution Table

a. Over 30 seconds?

Round to four decimal places if necessary

b. Under 35 seconds?

Round to four decimal places if necessary

c. Under 30 seconds or over 35 seconds?

Round to four decimal places if necessary

Solution

To solve these problems involving probabilities for sample means using the Central Limit Theorem, we proceed step by step.

Given:

  • Population mean μ=32\mu = 32 seconds
  • Population standard deviation σ=11\sigma = 11 seconds
  • Sample size n=45n = 45

First, we calculate the standard error (SE) of the sample mean:

SE=σn=11451.639SE = \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}} = \frac{11}{\sqrt{45}} \approx 1.639

a. Probability that the mean time is over 30 seconds

We first calculate the z-score corresponding to a mean time of 30 seconds. The z-score is given by:

z=XμSE=30321.6391.221z = \frac{X - \mu}{SE} = \frac{30 - 32}{1.639} \approx -1.221

Next, we look up the z-score in the standard normal distribution table or use a calculator to find the corresponding probability.

For z=1.221z = -1.221, the cumulative probability (area to the left of z) is approximately 0.1119. To find the probability that the mean time is over 30 seconds, we subtract this from 1:

P(X>30)=10.1119=0.8881P(X > 30) = 1 - 0.1119 = 0.8881

Thus, the probability that the mean time is over 30 seconds is approximately 0.8881.

b. Probability that the mean time is under 35 seconds

Now, we calculate the z-score for a mean time of 35 seconds:

z=35321.6391.831z = \frac{35 - 32}{1.639} \approx 1.831

For z=1.831z = 1.831, the cumulative probability is approximately 0.9666. Since we are looking for the probability that the mean time is under 35 seconds, we use this value directly:

P(X<35)=0.9666P(X < 35) = 0.9666

Thus, the probability that the mean time is under 35 seconds is approximately 0.9666.

c. Probability that the mean time is under 30 seconds or over 35 seconds

We can find this by calculating:

P(X<30 or X>35)=P(X<30)+P(X>35)P(X < 30 \text{ or } X > 35) = P(X < 30) + P(X > 35)

From part (a), we already found P(X>30)=0.8881P(X > 30) = 0.8881, so P(X<30)=10.8881=0.1119P(X < 30) = 1 - 0.8881 = 0.1119.

From part (b), P(X<35)=0.9666P(X < 35) = 0.9666, so P(X>35)=10.9666=0.0334P(X > 35) = 1 - 0.9666 = 0.0334.

Now we sum the two probabilities:

P(X<30 or X>35)=0.1119+0.0334=0.1453P(X < 30 \text{ or } X > 35) = 0.1119 + 0.0334 = 0.1453

Thus, the probability that the mean time is under 30 seconds or over 35 seconds is approximately 0.1453.

Summary of Results:

  • a. Probability the mean time is over 30 seconds: 0.8881
  • b. Probability the mean time is under 35 seconds: 0.9666
  • c. Probability the mean time is under 30 seconds or over 35 seconds: 0.1453

Would you like any additional details or have any questions? Here are some related questions to explore:

  1. What is the probability that the mean time is exactly 32 seconds?
  2. How does increasing the sample size to 100 travellers affect the probability in part (a)?
  3. What would be the probability that the mean time is between 30 and 35 seconds?
  4. How is the standard error affected if the sample size is reduced to 25 travellers?
  5. Can you explain how the Central Limit Theorem applies to this problem?

Tip: The larger your sample size, the smaller the standard error, which means the sample mean tends to be closer to the population mean.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Statistics
Probability
Central Limit Theorem
Normal Distribution

Formulas

Standard Error (SE) = σ / √n
Z-score formula: z = (X - μ) / SE
Probability from Z-score using standard normal distribution table

Theorems

Central Limit Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

College-level Statistics or Advanced High School Statistics