Answer :
Answer:
a) 0.0885 = 8.85% probability that the mean annual return on common stocks over the next 40 years will exceed 13%.
b) 0.4129 = 41.29% probability that the mean return will be less than 8%
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this question, we need to understand the normal probability distribution and the central limit theorem.
Normal Probability Distribution:
Problems of normal distributions can be solved using the z-score formula.
In a set with mean [tex]\mu[/tex] and standard deviation [tex]\sigma[/tex], the z-score of a measure X is given by:
[tex]Z = \frac{X - \mu}{\sigma}[/tex]
The Z-score measures how many standard deviations the measure is from the mean. After finding the Z-score, we look at the z-score table and find the p-value associated with this z-score. This p-value is the probability that the value of the measure is smaller than X, that is, the percentile of X. Subtracting 1 by the p-value, we get the probability that the value of the measure is greater than X.
Central Limit Theorem
The Central Limit Theorem estabilishes that, for a normally distributed random variable X, with mean [tex]\mu[/tex] and standard deviation [tex]\sigma[/tex], the sampling distribution of the sample means with size n can be approximated to a normal distribution with mean [tex]\mu[/tex] and standard deviation [tex]s = \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}}[/tex].
For a skewed variable, the Central Limit Theorem can also be applied, as long as n is at least 30.
Mean 8.7% and standard deviation 20.2%.
This means that [tex]\mu = 8.7, \sigma = 20.2[/tex]
40 years:
This means that [tex]n = 40, s = \frac{20.2}{\sqrt{40}}[/tex]
(a) What is the probability (assuming that the past pattern of variation continues) that the mean annual return on common stocks over the next 40 years will exceed 13%?
This is 1 subtracted by the pvalue of Z when X = 13. So
[tex]Z = \frac{X - \mu}{\sigma}[/tex]
By the Central Limit Theorem
[tex]Z = \frac{X - \mu}{s}[/tex]
[tex]Z = \frac{13 - 8.7}{\frac{20.2}{\sqrt{40}}}[/tex]
[tex]Z = 1.35[/tex]
[tex]Z = 1.35[/tex] has a pvalue of 0.9115
1 - 0.9115 = 0.0885
0.0885 = 8.85% probability that the mean annual return on common stocks over the next 40 years will exceed 13%.
(b) What is the probability that the mean return will be less than 8%?
This is the pvalue of Z when X = 8. So
[tex]Z = \frac{X - \mu}{s}[/tex]
[tex]Z = \frac{8 - 8.7}{\frac{20.2}{\sqrt{40}}}[/tex]
[tex]Z = -0.22[/tex]
[tex]Z = -0.22[/tex] has a pvalue of 0.4129
0.4129 = 41.29% probability that the mean return will be less than 8%