Worked solution
Square the coefficient of a two-packet total and retain both tails
Fettuccine packet mass is normal with mean 450 g and standard deviation σg.10% weigh at most 437 g.
(i) Find σ. marks
Spaghetti packet masses follow . Thomas buys six spaghetti packets and two fettuccine packets.
(ii) Find the probability that the total spaghetti mass differs from twice the two-packet fettuccine total by at least 1250 g. marks
(iii) State an assumption needed in(ii). mark
[2020/SAJC/Prelim/11(part)]
CJC · Review problems · Question 11
Answer
(i)σ≈10.1 g (3 s.f.); (ii)0.0853 (3 s.f.); (iii)all packet masses independent.
(i) Standardise the fettuccine lower-tail condition
For , gives . The source uses , obtaining σ≈10.144 g and reporting 10.1 g to 3 significant figures.
(ii) Define the absolute difference event
Let and use at the source working precision. Put . The requested probability is , not just a one-sided tail.
(ii) Calculate the mean in the same stages
.
(ii) Calculate the variance in the same stages
Independence gives . Thus at the source working precision.
(ii) Take the complement of the central interval
to 3 significant figures. Absolute-value bars in both source probability lines are retained from the rendered pages.
(iii) State independence of all packet masses
The mass of each packet, for both spaghetti and fettuccine, must be independent of every other packet’s mass. This is the source assumption allowing the individual variances to be added.
Common mistakes
“Differs by at least” uses an absolute value and both tails, even when one tail is extremely small.
Solution notes
All asks/marks, every source standardisation/quantile, working-precision models, mean/variance stage, two-tail complement/decimals and independence statement retained. Absolute-value bars restored from images; no source mathematics inferred from extraction alone.