For U.S. adult males, the mean height is 178 cm with a standard deviation of 8 cm and the mean weight is 84 kg with a standard deviation of 8 kg. Elmer is 170 cm tall and weighs 70 kg. It is most nearly correct to say that:
A)Elmer's weight is more unusual than his height.
B)Elmer is heavier than he is tall.
C)Height and weight have the same degree of variation.
D)Height has more variation than weight.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To determine which characteristic is more unusual, we need to compare Elmer's height and weight to the mean and standard deviation of their respective distributions. We can use z-scores to do this:

z-score for Elmer's height = (170 - 178) / 8 = -1.00
z-score for Elmer's weight = (70 - 84) / 8 = -1.75

Both z-scores indicate that Elmer is below the mean for height and weight, but the z-score for weight is more negative than the z-score for height. This means that Elmer's weight is further from the mean and therefore more unusual than his height. Thus, choice A is the correct answer.

For US Adult Males, the Mean Height Is 178 Cm with with a Standard