Step 1 :Given that the sample size \(n = 1000\), the population size \(N = 2000000\), and the population proportion \(p = 0.42\).
Step 2 :The sampling distribution of the proportion is approximately normal if \(np\) and \(n(1-p)\) are both greater than 5. The mean of the distribution is equal to the population proportion \(p\), and the standard deviation is \(\sqrt{p(1-p)/n}\).
Step 3 :Calculate the mean \(\mu_{\hat{p}} = 0.42\) and the standard deviation \(\sigma_{\hat{p}} = \sqrt{0.42(1-0.42)/1000} \approx 0.0156\).
Step 4 :For part (b), we can use the normal approximation to the binomial distribution to calculate the probability. The z-score for a value \(x\) in a distribution with mean \(\mu\) and standard deviation \(\sigma\) is given by \(z = (x - \mu) / \sigma\). The probability of obtaining a value greater than or equal to \(x\) is given by the area under the standard normal curve to the right of the z-score. So, the probability of obtaining \(x=440\) or more individuals with the characteristic is \(P(x \geq 440) = \boxed{0.1000}\).
Step 5 :For part (c), similarly, the probability of obtaining a value less than or equal to \(x\) is given by the area under the standard normal curve to the left of the z-score. So, the probability of obtaining \(x=390\) or fewer individuals with the characteristic is \(P(x \leq 390) = \boxed{0.0273}\).