Step 1 :Calculate the z-score using the formula \(Z = \frac{X - \mu}{\sigma}\), where \(X\) is the value we are interested in (309 days), \(\mu\) is the mean (269 days), and \(\sigma\) is the standard deviation (15 days).
Step 2 :Substitute the given values into the formula to get \(Z = \frac{309 - 269}{15} = \frac{40}{15} = 2.67\).
Step 3 :Look up 2.67 in a standard normal distribution table to find the probability of a z-score being less than 2.67, which is 0.9962.
Step 4 :Calculate the probability of a z-score being more than 2.67 by subtracting the value found from 1: \(P(Z > 2.67) = 1 - P(Z < 2.67) = 1 - 0.9962 = 0.0038\).
Step 5 :\(\boxed{0.0038}\) or 0.38% is the probability of a pregnancy lasting 309 days or longer.
Step 6 :To find the length of pregnancy that separates premature babies from those who are not considered premature, find the z-score that corresponds to the lowest 3% of the distribution. This z-score is approximately -1.88.
Step 7 :Use this z-score to find the corresponding length of pregnancy using the formula \(X = \mu + Z\sigma\).
Step 8 :Substitute the given values into the formula to get \(X = 269 + (-1.88)(15) = 269 - 28.2 = 240.8\).
Step 9 :Round to the nearest integer to find that babies who are born on or before \(\boxed{241}\) days are considered premature.