Consider babies born in the “ normal” range of 37– 43 weeks gestational age. The paper referenced in Example 6.21 (“ Fetal Growth Parameters and Birth Weight: Their Relationship to Neonatal Body Composition,” Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology [ 2009]: 441– 446) suggests that a normal distribution with mean m = 3,500 grams and standard deviation s = 600 grams is a reasonable model for the probability distribution of x = birth weight of a randomly selected full term baby.
a. What is the probability that the birth weight of a randomly selected full term baby exceeds 4,000 g? is between 3,000 and 4,000 g?
b. What is the probability that the birth weight of a randomly selected full term baby is either less than 2,000 g or greater than 5,000 g?
c. What is the probability that the birth weight of a randomly selected full term baby exceeds 7 pounds? (Hint: 1 lb = 453.59 g.)
d. How would you characterize the most extreme 0.1% of all full term baby birth weights?