Step 1 :The problem is asking for the application of the Empirical Rule, also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule, which states that for a normal distribution, 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean, 95% falls within two standard deviations, and 99.7% falls within three standard deviations.
Step 2 :Given that the mean (\(\mu\)) is 53 minutes and the standard deviation (\(\sigma\)) is 3 minutes, we can use this rule to answer the questions.
Step 3 :For the first question, 68% of testing times were between (mean - 1 standard deviation) and (mean + 1 standard deviation). So, 68% of testing times were between \(53 - 3 = 50\) minutes and \(53 + 3 = 56\) minutes.
Step 4 :For the second question, we need to calculate the percentage of testing times that were between 47 minutes and 59 minutes. This range is equivalent to (mean - 2 standard deviations) and (mean + 2 standard deviations), which according to the Empirical Rule, should encompass 95% of the testing times.
Step 5 :Final Answer: \(\boxed{68\%}\) of testing times were between \(\boxed{50}\) minutes and \(\boxed{56}\) minutes. \(\boxed{95\%}\) of the testing times were between 47 minutes and 59 minutes.