# Stat List Editor on Ti-89 for finding areas between z-scores

• October 19th 2012, 05:32 PM
m58
Finding areas between z-scores -- TI-89
Hello,

I've been having some trouble with my Stat List Editor application on the TI-89 Titanium (well, more like (Headbang) than just a normal problem). I can't seem to get the correct answer for a statistics problem, no matter what field I put my numbers in (I'm also pretty clueless about SLE in general, since my professor doesn't know how to use an 89, and can't help me in class).

Here's the problem:

Find the z-score for which 5% of the distribution's area lies between -z and z.

For a similar problem (with 80% instead of 5%), I got the right answer by looking at the Critical Values list on my z-score chart. I looked under .80 in the 'level of confidence column,' and then looked to its corresponding zc column, to get 1.28 and -1.28 as my answers. Unfortunately, this list only starts at .80, and only gives the zc for .9, .95, and .99.

Would anyone know to solve the problem above, and others like it, with SLE, by hand, or otherwise?
• October 19th 2012, 07:28 PM
MaxJasper
Re: Finding areas between z-scores -- TI-89
Look for z values of p=2.5% or p=97.5% on 2-sided normal distribution table and you might need to interpolate between 97.5% and 95% or 99%. Be careful your z values might be for 1-sided probability table but you need 2.5% each side of mean. $z_{0.975}=1.95$
• October 19th 2012, 08:30 PM
MarkFL
Re: Stat List Editor on Ti-89 for finding areas between z-scores
Alternately, for the first problem you could enter the command on your TI-89:

solve(1/√(2π)∫(e^(-x^2/2),x,0,z)=.025,z) [ENTER]

result: .062706777943

Now, instead of 5%, if you try this with 80% you would enter:

solve(1/√(2π)∫(e^(-x^2/2),x,0,z)=.4,z) [ENTER]

result: 1.28155156554
• October 20th 2012, 02:30 PM
m58
Re: Stat List Editor on Ti-89 for finding areas between z-scores

I still have a few questions...

Quote:

Alternately, for the first problem you could enter the command on your TI-89:

solve(1/√(2π)∫(e^(-x^2/2),x,0,z)=.025,z) [ENTER]
Mark, would it be possible to save this equation into a single command (i.e. making it so I only had to press 1 button, and the equation would come up, instead of typing the whole thing out each time)?

Quote:

Look for z values of p=2.5% or p=97.5% on 2-sided normal distribution table and you might need to interpolate between 97.5% and 95% or 99%. Be careful your z values might be for 1-sided probability table but you need 2.5% each side of mean.
Max, why would you look at 2.5 or 97.5? Do you have to add/subtract 2.5 each time from the needed percentage in this case, or this a universal rule?
• October 20th 2012, 02:50 PM
MaxJasper
Re: Stat List Editor on Ti-89 for finding areas between z-scores
Quote:

Originally Posted by m58
Max, why would you look at 2.5 or 97.5? Do you have to add/subtract 2.5 each time from the needed percentage in this case, or this a universal rule?

"Find the z-score for which 5% of the distribution's area lies between -z and z."

Correction:

-z to +z indicates that 5% is considered from -z to +z which means 47.5% each side of the mean,i.e., 47.5% for values less than -z and 47.5% for values greater than +z. as indicated on the N-Dist graph:

$z=\pm 0.062707$ for blue area=2.5%

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...M2XwwTnAfgUv0A
• October 20th 2012, 04:17 PM
m58
Re: Stat List Editor on Ti-89 for finding areas between z-scores
Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxJasper
"Find the z-score for which 5% of the distribution's area lies between -z and z."

-z to +z indicates that 100%-5% =95% is considered from -z to +z which means 2.5% each side of the mean,i.e., 2.5% for values less than -z and 2.5% for values greater than +z. as indicated on the N-Dist graph:

http://img.tfd.com/mk/D/X2604-D-41.png

Got it! Thanks for your help.
• October 20th 2012, 04:55 PM
MaxJasper
Re: Stat List Editor on Ti-89 for finding areas between z-scores