Tough GMAT problems expect us know the answers of any of the following questions:
"¢ What is Standard Deviation?
"¢ How is Standard Deviation related with Variance and Range of a distribution?
"¢ What is the significance of Standard Deviation?
"¢ What is Normal Distribution, and what is it to do with the Standard Deviation and the Bell Curve?
"¢ What is a Bell Curve? What is the approximated break up percentages of the Bell Curve?
"¢ What do we mean by 1 or 2 Standard Deviation(s) below or above the Mean? Etc...
Yes, GMAT never make us calculate the Standard Deviation the real way, but at the same time it may test us over the understanding, applying, and approximating the Standard Deviation from the necessary info provided.
96 percent is almost 100 percent. If this data is normally distributed, then 97.5 lbs and 155 lbs are the real extremes, whose average is the approximated mean.
� Mean = (97.5 + 155)/2, approximately equal to 125.
If 97.5 lbs and 155 lbs are the real extremes, then the Range of the distribution is the difference of the extremes.
� Range = 155 - 97.5, or approximately equal to 57; and in the absence of real data, if only the Range of the data is known, one-fourth of the Range is an rough approximation for the Standard Deviation. Hence, the Standard Deviation of the presented data is roughly around ¼ (57), 15 is the best value to pick.
[spoiler]Where do we find 125 and 15 together?[/spoiler]
The mind is everything. What you think you become. -Lord Buddha
Sanjeev K Saxena
Quantitative Instructor
The Princeton Review - Manya Abroad
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www.manyagroup.com