Human body temperatures have a mean of 98.20°F and a standard deviation of 0.62°. Find and interpret the z score for a body temperature of 93.7°F.

Question

Human body temperatures have a mean of 98.20°F and a standard deviation of 0.62°.

Find and interpret the z score for a body temperature of 93.7°F.?

Answer 1

The z score is defined by z = (x - μ)/σ where x is the point in question (in this case 93.7), μ is the mean (in this case 98.2), and σ is the standard deviation (in this case 0.62). The z score then is (93.7 - 98.2)/0.62 = -7.258. This means the probability of this happening is virtually zero.