H2 MATH

2020 / YR 6

ASSIGNMENT 16
Discrete Random Variables
1 Four rods of lengths 1, 2, 3 and 4 units are placed in a bag from which one rod is selected
at random. The probability of selecting a rod of length x is kx, where k is a real constant.
(i) Find the value of k. [1]
(ii) Show that the expected value of X, the length of the selected rod, is 3 units and find
the variance of X. [3]
After a rod has been selected, it is not replaced. The probabilities of selection for each
of the three rods that remain are in the same ratio as they were before the first selection.
A second rod is now selected from the bag. Defining Y to be the length of this rod.
(iii) Show that 16P(Y  1| X  2)  9P(Y  2 | X  1) . [2]
17
(iv) Show that P( X  Y  3)  . [2]
360

2 The random variable has the following probability distribution:

x 1 2 3
P(X = x)  2 1  3
1
where 0    . Show that E( X )  3  4 , and find Var(X) in terms of  . [3]
3
The random variable S is the sum of n independent values of X. Write down E(S) and
Var(S) in terms  and n. [3]
The random variable T is defined by T  a  bS . The values of a and b are such that
1
E(T )   for all 0    . Show that
3
3 1
(i) a  and b   , [2]
4 4n
  3  8 
(ii) Var(T )  . [2]
8n

3 In a school with a large number of students, an average of 1 out of 5 students is sick in

a month.
(i) State, in this context, two assumptions that must be met for the number of
students who are sick in a month to be well modelled by a binomial distribution.
Explain why each of these assumptions may not be met. [3]

Assume now that these assumptions do in fact hold.

(ii) Twenty-five students are randomly selected, one after another. Find the
probability that the last student selected is the fifth student who is sick in a
month. [3]
(iii) Find the least value of n such that in a sample of n randomly selected students,
the probability that at least 6 are sick in a month is more than 0.95. [3]
4 A factory produces plastic cups. It is known that 10% of the cups have cracks. For quality
control purposes, the factory adopts two kinds of checks on the day’s produce.
A: Multiple checks are performed. In each check, a cup is randomly selected and
checked for cracks.
B: A random sample of 15 cups is first tested. The day’s produce is rejected if more
than four cups have cracks, and accepted if three or fewer have cracks. If exactly
four cups have cracks, another random sample of 10 cups will be tested. The day’s
produce is accepted if none of the cups in the second sample have cracks and
rejected otherwise.
(i) Find the probability that the first cracked cup appears before the 7th random check
in a day under Scheme A. [2]
(ii) Find the probability that the batch of cups is rejected under Scheme B. [3]

5 It is given that W ~ B(24, p) where p is a constant and the mode of W is 10. Find exactly
the range of values of p. [3]