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Bunuel
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Bunuel can you please explain this concept and question?
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Bunuel
If a set of data has a mean of 4.2 and a standard deviation of 7.1, what is the range of values that lie within 2 standard deviations of the mean?

(A) -2.9 to 11.3
(B) -2.9 to 12.6
(C) -10 to 12.6
(D) -10 to 18.4
(E) 4.2 to 18.4
“Within 2 standard deviations of the mean” means:

Mean - 2 * Standard deviation to Mean + 2 * Standard deviation

Here:

Mean = 4.2
Standard deviation = 7.1

Two standard deviations:

2 * 7.1 = 14.2

Lower limit:

4.2 - 14.2 = -10

Upper limit:

4.2 + 14.2 = 18.4

Therefore, the range is:

-10 to 18.4

Answer: D.
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Hi vrinda6,

The solutions above (Showmeyaa's and mohammadfaraaz123's) both land on the right answer, but I think what's missing for you is the idea behind "within 2 standard deviations of the mean." Let me unpack just that.

What the phrase actually means

Think of the mean as a center point on a number line. "Standard deviation" is just a fixed step size - here, one step = 7.1.

- Within 1 standard deviation = go one step left and one step right of the mean.
- Within 2 standard deviations = go two steps in each direction.

So "within 2 SD of the mean" is the stretch of the number line from (mean - 2 steps) all the way to (mean + 2 steps).

Applying it here

- One step = 7.1, so two steps = 2 x 7.1 = 14.2.
- Left end = mean - 14.2 = 4.2 - 14.2 = -10.
- Right end = mean + 14.2 = 4.2 + 14.2 = 18.4.

That gives -10 to 18.4, which is D.

Why the trap answers exist

Notice the wrong choices come from using only one step instead of two: 4.2 - 7.1 = -2.9 and 4.2 + 7.1 = 11.3 (choice A). The word "2" in "2 standard deviations" is the whole game - you must double the step size before adding and subtracting.

So the habit to lock in: always go the full number of steps on both sides of the mean. Left = mean - (n x SD), Right = mean + (n x SD).

Answer: D

vrinda6
Bunuel can you please explain this concept and question?
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