Review Chapter 3

1)The Ski Patrol at Criner Mountain Ski Resort has determined

the following probability distribution for the number of skiers
that are injured each weekend:
Injured 0 1 2 3 4
skiers
Probability 0.05 0.15 0.4 0.3 0.1
Based on this information, what is the expected number of
injuries per weekend?
A) 2.50 B) 1.00 C) 2.25 D)
3.50
E ( X ) =0 ( 0.05 ) +1 ( 0.15 )+ 2 ( 0.4 ) +3 ( 0.3 ) +4 ( 0.1 )=2.25

2)Based on the information from exercise 1, find F(3)

A) 0.85 B) 0.55 C) 0.45 D) None
of the others.
F ( 3 ) =P ( X ≤ 3 )=f ( 0 ) + f (1 ) + f ( 2 )+ f ( 3 )=0.9

3)The following probability distribution has been assessed for

the number of accidents that occur in a mid western city each
day:
Accidents 0 1 2 3 4
Probabilit 0.25 0.2 0.3 0.15 0.1
y
 Based on this probability distribution, the standard
deviation in the number of accidents per day is:
A) None of the others. B) 2.65 C) 2
D) 0.12
μ=0 ( 0.25 ) +1 ( 0.2 ) +2 ( 0.3 ) +3 ( 0.15 ) + 4 ( 0.1 )=1.65

σ= ∑ x 2 f ( x )−μ2=√ 1.6275=1.2757
√ x ∈ {0 , 1, 2 ,3 , 4}

4) Based on the data from exercise 3, find the probability that

there are at least two accidents per day.
A) 0.25 B) 0.55 C) 0.45 D) None
of the others
P ( X ≥2 ) =1−f ( 0 )−f ( 1 ) =0.55

5)An office has three telephone lines. At any given time, the
probability that at least one line is in use is 0.8. Find the
probability that, at any given time, all three are in use. Answer:
0.07157
Let p denote the probability of one line being in use.
P ( X=0 )=1−P ( X ≥ 1 )=0.2 ; P ( X=0 )=( 1− p )3 → p=1−√3 0.2

Binomial distribution with p=1−√3 0.2 ,n=3

3 3
P ( X=3 )= p3=( 1−√ 0.2 ) =0.07157

6) The components in the system are regarded as independent

trials. We have a system with 100 independent components. The
probability that a component will fail during a prescribed period
of time is 0.005. What is the probability that the system is
operating at the end of the period, which requires that no
component fail? Answer: 0.606
Binomial distribution with p=0.005 ,n=100

P ( X=0 )= p100 =( 1−0.005 )100=0.606

7) Compute the probability of obtaining three defectives in a

sample of size 10 taken without replacement from a box of
twenty components containing four defectives. Answer: 0.2477
Hypergeometric distribution H ( 20,4,10 )

4 16
P ( X=3 )=
( 3 )( 7 )
=0.2477
20
(10 )
8) Messages arrive at a computer at an average rate of 15
messages/second. The number of messages that arrive in 1
second is known to be a Poisson random variable.
a. Find the probability that no messages arrive in 1
second. (answer: 3.06*10^-7);
Poisson distribution with λT =15
e−15 ( 15 0 )
P ( 0 )= =3.06 ×10−7
0!
b. Find the probability that more than 10 messages
arrive in a 4-second period.
Poisson distribution with λT =15 × 4=60
10
e−60 ( 60 x )
P ( X >10 ) =1−P ( X ≤10 ) =1−∑ =1
x=0 x!
9) Let X be a discrete uniform random variable on the interval
[2; 20]. Find the mean and standard deviation of X.
A) 0 & 30 B) 11 & 30 C) 11 & 5.477
D) None of the others
b+ a 20+2
μ= = =11
2 2

( b−a+ 1 )2−1 ( 20−2+ 1 )2−1

σ=
√ 12
=
√
12
=√30=5.477

10) The number of industrial injuries per working week in a

particular factory is known to follow a Poisson distribution with
variance is 0.5.
a) Find the probability that there will be no accidents in a
three-week period. 0.223
Poisson distribution with λT =0.5 ×3=1.5
e−1.5 ( 1.50 )
P ( X=0 )= =0.223
0!

b) Find the standard deviation of the number of accidents in

a eight-week period. Answer: 2
Poisson distribution with λT =0.5 × 8=4
σ =√ V ( X )=√ λT =√ 4=2

11) An urn contains 30 red and 20 green balls. A sample of 5

balls is selected at random, without replacement. Find the mean
and standard deviation of the number of red balls in the sample.
Answer: 3; 1.05
K
Hypergeometric distribution H ( 50 ,30 , 5 ), p=
N
=0.6

μ=np=5 ( 0.6 )=3

N −n 50−5 3 √ 6
√
σ = np ( 1− p )
N −1 √
= 5 ( 0.6 ) ( 0.4 )
50−1
=
7
=1.05

12) From past experience it is known that 3% of accounts in a

large accounting population are in error.
a) What is the probability that 5 accounts are audited before
an account in error is found? Answers: 0.027
Geometric distribution with p=0.03

4
P ( X=5 )=( 1−0.03 ) ( 0.03 )=0.027

b) What is the probability that the first account in error

occurs in the first five accounts audited? 0.141
Geometric distribution with p=0.03

5
x−1
P ( X ≤5 )=∑ ( 1−0.03 ) ( 0.03 )=0.141
x=1

13) a) Find the probability that a man flipping a coin gets

the fourth head on the ninth flip.
1
Negative binomial distribution with p=
2 and r =4
9−4
1 1 4 7
P ( X=9 )= 9−1
( )( ) ( )
4−1 2 2
= =0.109
64
 b) How many times on average does that man have to flip
to get four heads?
1
Negative binomial distribution with p=
2 and r =4
r 4
μ= = =8
p 1
2

c) Find standard deviation of the number of flips until that

man gets four heads.
1
Negative binomial distribution with p=
2 and r =4

( 12 ) =2 √ 2=2.83
√
4 1−
r ( 1− p )
σ=
√ p2
=
12
2
Answer: 0.109; 8; 2.83
14) The number of misprints on a page of the Daily Mercury
has Poisson distribution with mean 1.2. Find the probability that
the number of errors
a) on page four is 2 (0.216)
Poisson distribution with λT =1.2
e−1.2 ( 1.22 )
P ( X=2 )= =0.2169
2!

b) on page three is less than 3. (0.879)

Poisson distribution with λT =1.2
 2
e−1.2 ( 1.2 x )
P ( X <3 ) =∑ =0.879
x=0 x!

c) on the first ten pages totals 5 (0.013)

Poisson distribution with λT =1.2 ×10=12
e−12 ( 125 )
P ( X=5 )= =0.013
5!

d) on all forty pages adds up to at least 3 (1)

Poisson distribution with λT =1.2 ×40=48
2
e−48 ( 48x )
P ( X ≥3 )=1−P ( X ≤ 2 )=1−∑ =1
x=0 x!

e) find the standard deviation of the number of error in thirty

pages. (6)
Poisson distribution with λT =1.2 ×30=36
σ =√ V ( X )=√ λT =√ 36=6

15) Let X = the number of days in the past week in which a

randomly selected person felt anxious and tense. According to a
recent General Social Survey, the probabilities for the potential
values of X for adult Americans are approximately:
X 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
P(x) 0.28 0.2 0.15 0.11 0.07 0.07 0.02 0.1
a.Does this refer to a discrete or a continuous random variable?
Discrete. X only has eight possible values (integers from 0 to 7
inclusive).
b.Find the mean of this probability distribution. Interpret.
μ=0 ( 0.28 ) +1 ( 0.2 )+2 ( 0.15 ) +3 ( 0.11 )+ 4 ( 0.07 )+5 ( 0.07 ) +6 ( 0.02 ) +7 ( 0.1 )=2.28

On average, a randomly selected adult American felt anxious

and tense for 2.28 days in the past week.
16) A candy company claims that its jelly bean mix contains
15% blue jelly beans. Suppose that the candies are packaged at
random in small bags containing about 200 jelly beans. What is
the probability that a bag will contain more than 20% blue jelly
beans? (0.022)
Binomial distribution with p=0.15 and n=200
40
P ( X > 40 )=1−P ( X ≤ 40 ) =1−∑ 200 ( 0.15x ) ( 0.85200−x ) =0.022
x=0 x ( )
17) Researchers believe that 7% of children have a gene that
may be linked to a certain childhood disease. In an effort to
track 50 of these children, researchers test 950 newborns for the
presence of this gene. What is the probability that they do not
find enough subjects for their study? (0.0126)
Binomial distribution with p=0.07 and n=950
49
P ( X <50 ) =P ( X ≤ 49 )=∑ 950 ( 0.07 x ) ( 0.93 950− x ) =0.0126
x=0 x ( )
18) The probability that a radish seed will germinate is 0.7. A
gardener plants seeds in batches of 11. find the standard
deviation for the random variable X, the number of seeds
germinating in each batch. (1.52)
Binomial distribution with p=0.7 and n=11
σ =√ V ( X )=√ np ( 1− p ) =√11 ( 0.7 )( 0.3 )=1.52

19) From past experience it is known that 3% of accounts in a

large accounting population are in error.
A) What is the probability that 5 accounts are audited before two
accounts in error are found? (0.0033)
Negative binomial distribution with p=0.03 and r =2
P ( X=5 )= 5−1 ( 0.03 ) ( 0.97 ) =0.0033
2 3
( )
2−1

B) What is the standard deviation of the number of accounts

audited until 3 accounts in error occur? (56.86)
Negative binomial distribution with p=0.03 and r =3
3 ( 0.97 )
σ =√ V ( X )=√ r ( 1− p ) / p2=
√ 0.032
=56.86

c) Find the mean of the number of account audited before two

accounts in error are found. (66.67)
Negative binomial distribution with p=0.03 and r =2
r 2
μ= = =66.67
p 0.03