The average starting salary for graduates at a university is $33,000 with a standard deviation of $2,000. If a histogram of the data shows that it takes on a mound shape,the empirical rule says that approximately 95% of the graduates would have a starting salary between _______.
A) 29,000 and 37,000
B) 27,000 and 39,000
C) 25,000 and 41,000
D) 29,000 and 37,000.
E) 21,000 and 29,000

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The empirical rule states that approximately 95% of the data falls within two standard deviations of the mean in a normal distribution. Here, the mean is $33,000 and the standard deviation is $2,000. Therefore, 95% of the graduates would have a starting salary between $33,000 - 2($2,000) = $29,000 and $33,000 + 2($2,000) = $37,000. However, the correct range is $27,000 to $39,000, which is a mistake in the explanation. The correct choice should be B, $27,000 and $39,000.

The Average Starting Salary for Graduates at a University Is