What fraction of a Gaussian population lies within specific intervals?

To determine the fraction of a Gaussian population within given intervals, we can refer to the standard normal distribution table (Z-table). This table provides the area under the curve, which represents the probability of a value falling within a specific range in a standard normal distribution.

Intervals Explained:

  • a: The area under the curve from negative infinity to value ‘a’.
  • b’s width typically represents standard deviations from the mean.
  • 2: This likely indicates the range of two standard deviations.
  • c to: Refers to the interval starting from ‘c’ to infinity.
  • d to: Represents the interval from ‘d’ to infinity.
  • 0: Indicates the mean value of the Gaussian distribution.
  • 4: This might represent four standard deviations, indicating how far out from the mean.
  • e to: Suggests an upper limit interval.

To find the fractions corresponding to each of these intervals, one would typically look up the Z-scores for each endpoint in the Z-table. The Z-score is calculated as:

Z = (X - μ) / σ

Where ‘X’ is the value from the population, ‘μ’ is the mean, and ‘σ’ is the standard deviation. After finding the Z-score, you can consult the Z-table to get the corresponding area (or probability) for that Z-score.

For example, for 2 standard deviations (which corresponds to approximately 95% of the data in a normal distribution), you’d look up the Z-score of +2 and -2. Typically, this indicates that about 95% of the values lie between -2 and +2 standard deviations from the mean.

Similarly, for values of ‘c to + d’ and ‘0 to 4’, you would compute the relevant Z-scores and find the probabilities from the standard normal distribution table.

In summary, the fractions of the Gaussian population within the specified intervals can be extracted via their corresponding Z-scores from the standard normal distribution table, revealing the probabilities associated with each interval.

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