Section 25.

2 Applications of Dispersion
Non-Foundation Topics

A. Standard Score
The table below shows the test results of 5 students (A to E) in mathematics and English. It
also shows the mean ( x ) and the standard deviation ( σ ) of the scores in each subject.

Student A B C D E x σ
Mathematics 84 57 68 82 73 72.8 9.83
English 52 44 62 66 56 56.0 7.69

Student C got 68 on mathematics test but 62 on English test. Can we conclude that student C
performs better in mathematics than in English?

To compare a student’s performance of two subjects, we should not just look at the scores of
each subject only but we should consider the performance of each subject relative to the other
students by making use the corresponding mean and standard deviation.

The commonly used value of comparing two data from two different sets is called the
standard score which is defined as follows:
Let x and σ be the mean and standard deviaiton of a set of data. For any value x of the set,
x−x
the standard score of x is z =
σ

e.g. For the mathematics test of student C,

68 − 72.8
z= = −0.49 (corr. to 2 d.p.) 1 Remark:
9.83
1. The negative standard score indicates that the score
For the Englsh test of student C,
is 0.49 times the standard deviation below the mean.
62 − 56
=z = 0.78 (corr. to 2 d.p.) 2
2. The positive standard score indicates that the score is
7.69 0.78 times the standard deviation above the mean.

By comparing the standard scores of the two subjects, we can say that student C
performs better in English than in Mathematics.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_1
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
Example 1
The following table shows the mean, the standard deviation and the score of Jay for three tests. In which
test did Jay perform the best?

Mean Standard deviation Jay’s score

Test 1 50 36 70
Test 2 46 30 42
Test 3 43 16 64

Solution:
70 − 50
=
For test 1, z ≈ 0.56
36
42 − 46
For test=
2, z ≈ −0.13
30
64 − 43
=
For test 3, z ≈ 1.31
16
Therefore, Jay performed the best on test 3. Remark:
The higher the standard score, the better the
performance on the test.

Example 2
The standard score of Richard’s weight, 55 kg, in his class is 2.5. If the mean weight of the class is 45 kg,
find the variance of the weights in the class?

Solution:
Let σ be the standard deviation of the weights in the class,
55 − 45
2.5 =
σ
σ = 10 ÷ 2.5
σ =4
∴ The variance of the weights in the class is 16 kg. Caution:
Do not write 4 kg as the final answer.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_2
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
Practice
1) The table shows the performance of a group of students in the subjects Physics and Chemistry in
an examination.
Mean Standard deviation
Physics 58 6
Chemistry 66 15

Chris obtained 61 marks in Physics and 72 marks in Chemistry.

a) Find his standard scores in both subjects.

b) In which subject did he perform better?

2) Oscar and Barry are told that they received standard scores of 1.6 and –0.4 respectively in a
certain test. If their scores are 82 and 52 respectively, find the mean and the standard deviation of
the test scores.

3) The standard score of a student scoring 66 4) The standard deviation of a final exam is
marks in a test is –0.8. If the standard 2.5 . If Mary got 6 marks below the mean of
deviation of the distribution is 3.75 marks, the exam, find the standard score of her final
find the mean mark. exam.

A. 60 A. −2.4
B. 63 B. 2.4
C. 69 C. −14.4
D. 72 D. 14.4

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_3
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
B. Normal Distribution
Consider the following two sets of data:
1. The heights of all people in Hong Kong.
2. The widths of the leaves in a forest.
If we present each set of the data above by a frequency distribution curve, then both curves
will have a similar shape like the curve below:

Frequency

x Data

The bell-shape frequency distribution curve is called the normal curve and its corresponding
frequency distribution is called the normal distribution if it has the following properties.
(i) The mean of the data lies in the middle of the distribution,
(ii) The frequency distribution is symmetrical about the mean,
(iii) The frequency distribution has fewer data found further away from the centre.
(iv) Let x and σ be the mean and the standard deviation of a normal distribution respectively,
a) About 68% of the data lie within the interval [ x − σ , x + σ ] .
b) About 95% of the data lie within the interval [ x − 2σ , x + 2σ ] .
c) About 99.7% of the data lie within the interval [ x − 3σ , x + 3σ ] .

34% 34%

13.5% 13.5%
2.35% 2.35% x
x − 3σ x − 2σ x −σ x x +σ x + 2σ x + 3σ

Note: The percentages of the three intervals may be slightly different from different textbooks.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_4
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
Example 3
The mean weight of 10 000 police was 71 kg and the standard deviation was 2.5 kg. Given
that the weights are normally distributed,
a) find the percentage of the police who are heavier than 73.5 kg
b) find the number of the poice who are heavier than 66 kg.

Solution:
= 71 + 2.5 which is one standard deviation above the mean, the required
a) Since 73.5
percentage is represented by the shaded region below.

Strategy:
Drawing diagram is optional, but it helps us
to find the answer easier.
34%

Weights (kg)
71 73.5

∴ The percentage of the police who are heavier than 73.5 kg

= 50% − 34% Remark:
= 16% Since the curve is symmetrical about the
mean, the whole right half is 50%.

= 71 − 5 which is two standard deviations below the mean, the required

b) Since 66
percentage is represented by the shaded region below.

34%
13.5%
Weights (kg)
66 68.5 71
∴ The percentage of the police who are heavier than 66 kg
= 50% + 34% + 13.5%
= 97.5%

Therefore, the required number of police

= 10 000 × 97.5%
= 9 750

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_5
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
Example 4
50 000 students took part in a public examination. The mean mark of the examination was 68
and the standard deviation was 4. Given that the marks are normally distributed, find the
number of students who obtained scores between 64 and 76.

Solution:
The required percentage is represented by the shaded region below.

34% 34%
13.5%
marks
60 64 68 72 76
Therefore, the required number of students = 50 000× (34% + 34% + 13.5%)
= 40 750 Caution:
Do not give 81.5% as the final answer.

Practice
5) A normal distribution of the scores in a test has a mean of 66 and a standard deviation of 8. The
passing mark is 50. Estimate
a) the percentage of the candidates whose scores are over 90,
b) the percentage of the candidates who pass the test.

6) The marks of a test are normally distributed with a mean of 66 marks and a standard deviation of
7 marks.
a) If 97.5% of students passed in the test, what is the passing mark?
b) If 2.5% of the students got grade A, what is the minimum mark of getting grade A?

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_6
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
C. Effects of Changing Data on Dispersion
We have learned the effects of changing data on the measures of central tendency. We also have the
effects of changing data on the measures of dispersion as follows.

I. If a common constant is added to (or subtracted from ) each datum of a data set, then
Range remain unchanged
Inter-quartile range remain unchanged
Standard deviation remain unchanged

II. If each datum of a data set is multiplied by a positive constant k, then

Range original range × k
Inter-quartile range original inter-quartile range × k
Standard deviation original standard deviation × k

III. If a datum is removed from a data set, then

Range decrease or remain unchanged
Inter-quartile range no specific pattern for the change
Standard deviation becomes smaller if the removed datum is further away from the mean;
becomes larger if the removed datum is closer to the mean.

IV. If a datum is inserted to a data set, then

Range increase or remain unchanged
Inter-quartile range no specific pattern for the change
Standard deviation becomes larger if the inserted datum is further away from the mean;
becomes smaller if the inserted datum is closer to the mean.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_7
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
Example 5
Given that the range, the inter-quartile range, and the standard deviation of the set A : 10, 13, 17, 22, 25
are R, I, and S respectively. Find the range, the inter-quartile range, and the standard deviation of
a) the set B: 12, 15, 19, 24, 27 .
b) the set C: 19, 25, 33, 43, 49 .

Solution:
a) Let x be a datum of set A, then x + 2 is the corresponding datum of set B.
∴ The range = R , the inter-quartile range = I , the standard deviation = S .
b) Let x be a datum of set A, then 2 x − 1 is the corresponding datum of set C.
∴ The range = 2R , the inter-quartile range = 2I , the standard deviation = 2S .

Example 6
In a test, the mean and the standard deviation of the scores in a class are 60 marks and 6 marks
respectively. The lowest score is 35 marks and the highest score is 80 marks. The teacher finds out there
are some typing mistakes on the test paper so he decides to adjust the scores of the class by either:
Method A: Add 10 marks to the original score of each student
Method B: Multiply the original score of each student by 1.2.
a) If the teacher wants to have a better mean mark, which way should he choose?
b) (i) Find the new ranges and new standard deviations of both methods.
(ii) If the teacher wants to have a narrower dispersion of the scores, which way should he choose?

Solution:
a) For method A, the new mean = 60 + 10 = 70 marks.
For method B, the new= =
mean 60 ×1.2 72 marks.
∴ The teacher should choose method B.

b) (i) For method A, the new ranges = 80 − 35 = 45 marks.

the new standard deviation = 6 marks Remark:
= (80 − 35) ×1.2 = 54 marks.
For method B, the new ranges The standard deviation remains
unchanged.
the new standard deviation = 6 ×1.2 = 7.2 marks
(ii) The teacher should choose method A.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_8
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
Practice
7) Consider the set of data 20, 25, 27, 28, 32, 35, 41, 43, 46.
a) Find the range, inter-quartile range and standard deviation of the set. (corr. to 2 d.p.)
b) Find the new range, inter-quartile range and standard deviation if
(i) the datum 32 is removed from the set.
(ii) a datum 53 is inserted to the set.

8) The mean, the range and the standard deviation of a set of data are m, r and s respectively. If 5 is
added to each datum of the set, find the new mean, range and standard deviation.
Mean Range Standard deviation
A. m r s
B. m r +5 s+5
C. m+5 r s
D. m+5 r +5 s+5

9) Consider the following three sets of data and their standard deviations:
Sets Standard deviation
1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, 5500 X
1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, 6500 Y
2500, 3500, 4500, 5500 Z
Which of the following is correct?
A. X <Y < Z
B. Z < X <Y
C. Y <Z<X
D. Z <Y < X

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_9
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
Exercise Name: Date:
[In this exercise, unless otherwise stated, assume that in a normal distribution, 68%, 95% and 99.7%
of the data lie within one, two and three standard deviations respectively from the mean.]
1. Complete the following table.
Subject Mark Mean Standard deviation Standard score
(a) Mathematics 66 8 –1.5
(b) Chemistry 76 12 0.5
(c) Physics 88 68 2
(d) Biology 48 63 5

2. The mean and the standard deviation of the scores in the two paper of an examination are given in
the table below.
Mean Standard deviation Eric’s score
Paper I 75 10 88
Paper II 26.5 7.5 43
a) Find Eric’s standard score in each paper.
b) In which paper does Eric perform better?

3. It is given that the mean mark of the scores in the test I and test II are 66 and 85.5 respectively,
while the standard deviations are 8 and 21 respectively. If Elaine performs equally well in the two
tests and her score in test I is 70, find her score in test II.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_10
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
4. The standard scores of two students scoring 57 marks and 72 marks are –0.2 and 0.8 respectively.
What is the standard score of a student scoring 63 marks?

5. A machine produces batteries of which the weight are in a normal distribution. The mean and the
standard deviation of this normal distribution are 100 g and 1.5 g respectively. If a battery’s
weight deviates from the mean by not more than two standard deviations, it is classified as ‘safe’.
Find the minimum and the maximum weight of a safe battery.

6. In an examination, the scores of 160 S6 students are approximately normally distributed with a
mean of 58 and a standard deviation of 7.
a) If 84% of the students pass in the test, what is the passing mark?
b) If a student obtains marks in the range 58 to 72, then he will be awarded grade B in the
examination. Find the number of students who scores grade B in the examination.

7. The mean of 7 numbers x1 , x2 , x3 , x4 , x5 , x6 and x7 is x and their differences from x are 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, 8 and 9 respectively. Find the standard deviation in surd form.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_11
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
8. The mean of eight numbers is 10. If the eight numbers form an arithmetic sequence with a
common difference of 4, find these eight numbers. Hence, find the standard deviation of the eight
numbers.

9. Given 2 sets of data,

Set A: 18, 8, 2x + 2, 3x – 5, 11, 11, 25, 17
Set B: 17, 10, 21, x + 5, 27, 15, 2x + 1, 21, 12, 22

a) If the means of the two sets of data are equal, find the value of x.
b) Find the standard deviation of each set of data. (Give the answers correct to 2 d.p.)
c) Hence, find the percentage of numbers which are within one standard deviation from
the mean in Set A.

10. In an examination, the mean score of a class of students is 65 marks. It is given that the standard
score of 68 marks is 4.
a) If a student, Joseph, gets 53 marks, what is his standard score?
b) The teacher found out that he made some mistakes for recording the scores of two students,
Peter and Simon. Peter should get 88 marks instead of 85 marks while Simon should get 57
marks instead of 60 marks. Will there be any change in the standard score of Joseph due to
the correction of the scores of Peter and Simon? Explain your answer.
Related to HKDSE 2012 Practice CP1 #15

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_12
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
11. The mean and the standard deviation of the test scores obtained by a class of students in a test are
44 marks and 5.5 marks respectively. The teacher does not satisfy the results of the class so he
decides to multiply each score by 1.25 and then add 3 marks to each score.
a) Find the mean and the standard deviation of the test score after the score adjustment.
b) Before the score adjustment, the standard scores of student A was z. Is there any change in
the standard scores of student A due to the score adjustment? Explain your answer.

Related to HKDSE 2012 Math CP1 #15

12. The box-and-whisker diagram below shows the distribution of the scores of a class of students in
a Mathematics test. The standard scores of the students who get the lowest mark and the median
mark in the test are −6.4 and − 1.6 respectively.
Related to HKDSE 2013 Math CP1 #15

Scores
70 80 90

a) Find the standard score of the student who gets the highest mark in the test.
b) A student claims that the standard scores of more than half of the students in the test are positive.
Do you agree? Explain your answer.

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_13
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
13. The marks of 10 000 students in an English test are normally distributed with a mean of 58 and a
standard deviation of 8. Assuming that 68%, 95% and 99.7% of the marks lie within one, two and
three standard deviations from the mean respectively, find the number of students whose marks lie
between 50 and 74.
A. 6 800
B. 8 120
C. 8 150
D. 9 500

14. Given two groups of numbers:

I. a – 2, a – 1, a, a + 1, a + 2
II. a – 4, a – 2, a, a + 2, a + 4

If m 1 and m 2 are their means and s 1 and s 2 are their standard deviations respectively,
which of the following is true?
A. m 1 = m 2 , s 1 = s 2
B. m 1 = m 2 , 2s 1 = s 2
C. 2m 1 = m 2 , s 1 = s 2
D. 2m 1 = m 2 , 2s 1 = s 2

15. The standard deviation of 9 and a is 3. Find a.

A. 3
B. 3 or 15
C. –3 or –15
D. 3 or –3 or 15 or –15

16. ers has a mode of 18, an inter-quartile range of 12 and a variance of 8. If 2 is added to each
number of the set and each resulting number is then divided by 2 to form a new set of numbers,
find the mode, the inter-quartile range and the variance of the new set of numbers.
Mode Inter-quartile range Variance Relate to HKDSE 2012 Practice CP2 #45

A. 9 7 5
B. 10 7 2
C. 9 6 4
D. 10 6 2

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_14
 Section 25.2 Applications of Dispersion
17. Let m, r and s be the mean, the range and the standard deviation of a group of numbers
{a1 , a2 , a3 , , a10 } respectively. Which of the following group of numbers has mean 2m, range 2r
and standard deviation 2s? Relate to HKDSE 2012 Math CP2 #45

A. {a1 , a2 , a3 , , a20 }
B. {2a1 , 2a2 , 2a3 , , 2a10 }
C. {a1 + 2, a2 + 2, a3 + 2, , a10 + 2}
D. {a1 , a1 , a2 , a2 , a3 , a3 , , a10 , a10 }

18. Let v be the variance of the six numbers a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 , a5 and a6 , then variance of the six
numbers 200 − 2a1 , 200 − 2a2 , 200 − 2a3 , 200 − 2a4 , 200 − 2a5 , and 200 − 2a6 is
A. 2v
Relate to HKDSE 2013 Math CP2 #45
B. 4v
C. 200 − 2v
D. 200 − 4v

19. In a test, the standard scores of marks 58 and 68 are −7.5 and 5 respectively. What is the
standard score of mark 80? Relate to HKDSE 2014 Math CP2 #44

A. 10
B. 12.5
C. 16
D. 20

20. If the mean and the variance of the five numbers a, b, c, d and e are 10 and 6 respectively,
then the mean and the variance of the six numbers a + 10, b + 10, c + 10, d + 10, e + 10 and 20
are Relate to HKDSE 2014 Math CP2 #45

Mean Variance
A. 10 5
B. 10 6
C. 20 5
D. 20 6

DSE_25.2_Applications_of_Dispersion_15