Assignment II – Math 208

Final date of submission:

Problems on discrete rv and pmf

Q.1 In a process for manufacturing glassware, glass stems are sealed by heating them in a flame. The temperature of
the flame varies a bit. Here is the distribution of the temperature X measured in degree Celsius-
Temperatur 5400 5450 5500 5550 5600
e
Probability 0.1 0.25 0.3 0.25 0.1
a) Find the mean temperature X and standard deviation X.
b) The target temperature is 5500 C. what are the mean and standard deviation of the number of degrees off
target X – 550?
[Ans. (a) X =550, X= 5.7 (b) X-550 = 0, X-550= 5.7]
Q.2 In an experiment on the behavior of young children, each subject is placed in an area with five toys. The
response of interest is the number of toys that child plays with, past experiment with many subjects have shown that
the probability distribution of the number X of toys played with is as follows:
Number of toys, xi 0 1 2 3 4 5
Probability f(xi) 0.03 0.16 0.30 0.23 0.17 0.11
a) Find the mean X.
b) Find the standard deviation X.
Ans. (a) 2.68 (b) 1.31
Q.3 A part of quality-improvement project focused on the delivery of mail at a department office within a large
company, data were gathered on the number of different address that had to be changed so the mail could be
redirected to the correct mail stop. The distribution is given below, describe the number of redirects per delivery
xi 0 1 2 3 4 5
(xi) 0.03 0.16 0.30 0.23 0.17 0.11
a) find the mean X.
b) find the standard deviation X.
Ans. (a) 2.68 (b) 1.31
Q.4 As part of quality-improvement project focused on the delivery of mail at a department office within a large
company, data were gathered on the number of different address that had to be changed so the mail could be
redirected to the correct mail stop. The distribution given below describes the number of redirects per delivery
xi 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
f(xi) 0.17 0.29 0.27 0.16 0.07 0.03 0.01
a) find the mean X.
b) find the standard deviation X.
Ans. (a) 1.8 (b) 1.341641
Q.5 If two dice are thrown together find the probability distribution of number of sixes. Throwing a six is considered
as a success. Ans. -
x 0 1 1
P(X=x) 25/36 10/36 1/36
Q.6 X is a discrete random variable with the probability mass function
x
f ( x )= , for x=1 , 2, 3 , 4
10
1 5
Find a) P ( X=1∨2 ) b ¿ P ( 2 |
< X < X >1 ¿
2
Ans. a) 3/10 b) 2/9
Q.7 A random variable X has the following probability distribution:
 x: -2 -1 0 1 2 3
f(x): 0.1 k 0.2 2k 0.3 3k
Calculate P(X < 2).
Ans.k=1/15, so prob.= ½.
Q.8 A random variable X has the following probability distribution
x: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
p(x): 0 k 2k 2k 3k k2 2k2 7k2+k
Find
i) The value of k.
ii) P(1.5 < X < 4.5 | X > 2)
iii) The smallest value of  for which
1
P ( X ≤ )>
2
Ans. (i) k = 1/10 (ii) 5/7 (iii) min.  = 4
Q.9 Let X denote the number of patients who suffer an infection within a floor of a hospital per month with the
following probabilities:
Number of patients (xi) 0 1 2 3 4 5
Probability P(X = x) 0.04 0.12 0.30 0.24 0.22 0.08
Determine the following probabilities:
a) less than one infection
b) more than three infections
c) at least one infection
d) no infection
a) 0.04 b) 0.30 c) 0.96 d) 0.04
Q. 10 (a) Show that the probability function of sum of the values obtained in tossing two dice may be written as
x−1
P ( x) = , x =2 ,3 , … … … , 6
36
13−x
, x=7 , 8 , … … … , 12(b) Find the mean and variance of the random variable whose probability function is
36
defined in previous problem (a).
Ans. b) mean 7 variance 5.83
Q.11 Three batteries are chosen at random from a lot containing 12 batteries, 2 of which are defective. Let X be
defined as the number of defective batteries selected. Set up the probability distribution of X. Determine the
expected value and variance of X.
Ans. Prob. Distr.
X 0 1 2
P(X=x) 0.55 0.40 0.05
Mean 0.5, Variance 0.35
Q.12 A sample of four electronic components is taken from the output of a production line. The probabilities of the
various outcomes are calculated to be P(0 defective) = 0.6561, P(1 defective) = 0.2916, P(2 defectives) = 0.0486,
P(3 defectives) = 0.0036, P(4 defectives) = 0.0001. What is the probability of at least one defective?
Ans. 0.3439
Q.13 The probability distribution of X, the number of imperfections per 10 metres of synthetic fabric in a continuous
roll of uniform width, is given by
X 0 1 2 3 4
f(x) 0.41 0.37 0.16 0.05 0.01
Construct the CDF of X.
Ans.
F(x) = 0 , x<0
 0.41, 0x<1
0.78, 1x<2
0.94, 2x<3
0.99, 3x<4
1, x4.
Problems on continuous rv and pdf
Q.14 If the probability density of a random variable is given by
f ( x )=k ( 1−x 2 ) for 0< x <1
0 elsew h ere
Find the value of k and the probabilities that a random variable having this probability density will take on a value
a) Between 0.1 and 0.2.
b) Greater than 0.5.
[Ans. k=3/2, (a) 0.1465 (b) 0.3125]
Q.15 In certain experiments, the error made in determining the density of a silicon compound is a random variable
having the probability density
f ( x )=25 for−0.02< x< 0.02
0 elsew h ere
Find the probabilities that such an error will be
a) Between -0.03 and 0.04
b) Between -0.005 and 0.005
[Ans. (a) 1 (b) 0.25]
2
Q.16 A continuous random variable X has a probability density function f ( x )=3 x ,0 ≤ x ≤ 1. Find a and b such
that
i) P ( X ≤ a )=0.5
ii) P ( X ≥b )=0.05
[Ans. (a) a = 0.7937 (b) 0.983]
Q.17 If the distribution function of a random variable is given by
4
f ( x )=1− for x> 2
x2
0, x≤2
Find the probabilities that this random variable will take on a value
a) less than 3
b) between 4 and 5.
Ans. (a) 0.33 (b) 0.8)
Q.18 Let X be a continuous random variable with p.d.f. is given by
f ( x )=ax , 0 ≤ x <1
¿ a , 1≤ x <2
¿−ax +3 a , 2≤ x< 3
¿ 0 , elsew h ere
Find (i) the constant ‘a’ (ii) P(X  1.5) (iii) the cdf of X.
Ans. (i) ½ (ii) ½ (iii)
F(x) = x2/4, 0 ≤ x<1
= ½ x – ¼ , 1≤ x<2
Q.19 The continuous random variable X has p.d.f. f(x) = 3x2, -1 =-xx2
/4 0. If b–is5/4,
+ 3x/2 a number
2 satisfying -1 < b < 0,
compute P(X > b | X < b/2).
 Ans. 7b3/ (8 + b3)
Hints: P(X > b | X < b/2) =
P ( X > b ∩ X <b /2 ) P ( b/2< X < b )
¿ = =… …
P ( X <b /2 ) P ( X <b /2 )
Q.20 An investment firm offers its customers, municipal bonds that mature after varying numbers of years. Given
that the cumulative distribution function of T, the number of years to maturity for a randomly selected bond, is
F ( t )=0 , t< 1
1
¿ , 1≤ t<3
4
1
¿ , 3≤ t <5
2
3
¿ , 5≤ t <7
4
¿ 1 ,t ≥7
Calculate:
a) P(T = 5)
b) P(T > 3)
c) P(1.4 < T < 6)
Ans. a) ¼, b) ½ c) ¼
Q.21 A continuous random variable X has the pdf
f ( x )=kx ( 1+ x ) , for 0< x <1
Find a) the value of k b) the cumulative distribution function of X.
Ans. a) 6/5 b) (3+2x) x2/5
Q.22 On a laboratory assignment, if the equipment is working, the density function of the observed outcome, X is
f ( x )=2 ( 1−x ) , 0< x <1 ,
¿ 0 , ot h erwise
a) Calculate P(X  1/3)
b) What is the probability the X will exceed 0.5?
c) Given that X  0.5, what is the probability that X will be less than 0.75?
Ans. a) 5/9 b) 0.25 c) 0.1875
Q.23 Consider the density function
f ( x )=k √ x , 0< x< 1,
¿ 0 , ot h erwise
a) Evaluate k.
b) Find F(x) and use it to evaluate P(0.3 < X < 0.6)
Ans. a)3/2 b) F(x) = x3/2 , so prob. = 0.3
Q.24 If a random variable has the probability density
f ( x )=3 e−3 x , for x> 0
¿ 0 , for x ≤ 0
find the probabilities that it will take a value
i) Between 1 and 4.
ii) Greater than 0.4.
(i) 0.04978 (ii) 0.301194212
Q.25 Consider the following probability density function of random variable X-
f ( x )=kx , 0 ≤ x<2
¿ k ( 4−x ) , 2≤ x ≤ 4
¿ 0 , ot h erwise
(a) Find the value of k for which f is a probability density function.
(b) Find the mean and variance of X.
 (c) Find the cumulative distribution function.
Ans. a) ¼ b) mean 2 variance 38/3 c)
F(x) = x2/8, 0x<2
=x – x2/8 -1, 2x<4
Q.26 A continuous random variable X has a density function
2x
f ( x )= , 0< x< 3
9
Develop the CDF for X.
Q.27 Let the continuous random variable X denote the diameter of a hole drilled in a sheet metal component. The
target diameter is 12.5 millimeters. Most random disturbances to the process result in larger diameters. Historical
data show that the distribution of X can be modeled by a probability density function
f ( x )=20 e−20 (x−12.5) , x ≥12.5
a) If a part with a diameter 12.60 millimeters is scrapped, what proportion of parts is scrapped?
b) What proportion of parts is between 12.5 and 12.6 millimeters?
Ans. a) e-2.
Q.28 The temperature readings from a thermocouple in a furnace fluctuate according to a cumulative distribution
function
F ( x )=0 , x <8000 C0.1 x−80 , 8000 C ≤ x <810 0 C1 , x >810 0 C
Determine the following:
a) P(X < 805)
b) P(800 < X  805)
c) P(X > 808)
d) If the specifications for the process require that the furnace temperature be between 802 and 808 0C, what is
the probability that the furnace will operate outside of the specifications?
Ans. i) 0.5 b) 0.5 c) 0.02 d) 0.4
Q.29 Let X be a continuous random variable with the uniform density
1
f ( x )= ,0< x<2 a
2a
Find a) the median of X b) mean of X.
Ans. a) a b) a.
Problems on Function of rv
Q.30 A contractor is going to bid a project, and the number of days, X, required for completion follows the
probability distribution given as:
p ( x ) =0.1 , x=100.3 , x=110.4 , x=120.1 , x=130.1 , x=140.0 , ot h erwise
The contractor’s profit is given by Y = 2000(12 – X).
a) Find the probability distribution of Y.
b) Sketch the distribution function of Y.
c) Determine the mean of Y.
d) Determine the variance of Y.
Ans. i)
y -4000 -2000 0 2000 4000
p(y) 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.1
ii)
F(y) = 0, y < -4000
0.1, -4000  y < -2000
0.2, -2000  y < 0
 0.6, 0  y < 2000
0.9, 2000  y < 4000
1, y  4000
iii) 400 iv) 4640000
Problems on Expectation and Variance of rv
Q.31 A public bus driver has to go through five major intersections enroute to Ratnapark from Tribhuvan
Internatioanl Airport (TIA). From the past experience the driver has a rough idea about the percentage of time that
he has to stop at the intersection during red traffic lights as given below:
Number of stoppage at red traffic lights 0 1 2 3 4 5
Approx. chance of stopping 0.05 0.25 0.35 0.15 0.15 0.05
How many red lights do the driver expect during each run? What is the variance?
[Ans. Exp. 2.25, Var. 1.5875]
Q.32 If the probability density of X is given by
f ( x )=2 ( 1−x ) for 0< x< 1
0 elsew h ere
Find E[(2X + 1)2].
[Ans. 3] Hints: E(X) = 1/3, E(X2)=1/6
Q.33 Let X1, X2, ……………., X20 be independent and let each have the same marginal distribution with mean 10
and variance 3. Find
i) E ( X 1 + X 2+ … … … … … .+ X 20 )
ii) V ( X 1 + X 2+ … … … … … .+ X 20 )
[Ans. (i) 200 (ii) 30]
Q.34 If X1 has mean 7 and variance 5, while X2 has mean 8 and variance 2 and the two are independent, find
V (2 X 1 + X 2+ 41)
Ans. 22
 Assignment III – Math 208
Final date of submission:
Problems on Binomial Distribution
#.1 Among the 300 employees of a company, 240 are union members, while the others are not. If 8 of the employees are
chosen by lot to serve on the committee which administers the pension fund, find the probability that 5 of them will be union
members while the others are not, by using the formula for binomial distribution. Ans. 0.1468
#.2 A shipment of 120 burglar alarms contains 5 that are defective. If three of these alarms are randomly selected and
shipped to a customer, find the probability that the customer will get the one bad unit by using the formula for binomial
distribution. Ans. 0.1148
#.3 (a) “The mean of a binomial distribution is 4 and the standard deviation is 3”. Is statement consistent? If not, why? (b)
The mean of a binomial distribution is 3 and variance is 3/2. Find the probability of (i) 0 success (ii) 2 successes (iii) at least 4
successes.
Ans. a) No b) (i) 0.015625 (ii) 0.234375 (iii) 0.34375
#.4 Lots of 40 components each are called unacceptable if they contain as many as 3 defectives or more. The procedure for
sampling the lot is to select 5 components at random and to reject the lot if a defective is found. What is the probability that
exactly, 1 defective is found in the sample if there are 3 defectives in the entire lot by using the formula for binomial distribution
as an approximation.
Ans. i) 0.301113 ii) 0.274535303
#.5 In a certain country 30% children are undernourished. From a random sample of 6 children in this area, find the probability
that number of undernourished are i) exactly 2 (ii) more than 2 iii) at most 2. Also find the mean and standard deviation of
binomial distribution. if there are 50 such families, in how many families more than two children are undernourished?
Ans. i) 0.324135 ii) 0.25569 iii) 0.74431 Mean = 1.8, s.d.= 1.122497, Families no. more than 2 undernourished children =
12.7845 (~ 13)
#.6 It has been claimed that in 72% of all solar-heat installations, the utility bill is reduced by at least one third. Accordingly,
what are the probabilities that the utility bill will be reduced by at least one-third in (i) four of five installations (ii) at least four of
five installations. Ans. i) 0.376234 ii) 0.569726
#.7 A manufacturer of laptop computer monitors has determined that 3% of screen produced are defective. A sample of one
dozen monitors from a production lot was taken at random. What is the probability that in this sample at most 2 defectives will
be found? Ans. 0.995154
#.8 For a binomial distribution, the mean is 6 and the variance is 4. Find P(X = 4).

Problems on Poisson Distribution

#.9 If a random variable X follows a Poisson distribution such that
P(X = 2) = 9. P(X = 4) + 90. P(X = 6),
find the mean and variance of X. [Ans. mean = 1, variance = 1]
#.10 In the morning, the arrival of buses at KU Bus Park is a Poisson process with a mean arrival rate of 2 per minute. Find
the probability that
i. Exactly 5 buses arrive in a 5-minute period.
ii. At least 2 buses arrive in a 3-minute period.
Ans. i) 0.037833275 ii) 0.982648735
#.11 In the inspection of a fabric produced in continuous rills, the number of imperfections per yard is a random variable having
Poisson distribution with  = 0.25. What is the probability that 2 yards of the fabric will have not any imperfections? Ans.
0.60653066
#.12 It is known from the past experience that in a certain plant there are on average 4 industrial accidents per year. Find the
probability that in a given year, there will be i) less than 4 accidents ii) at least 4 accidents iii) exactly two accidents iv) no
accidents.
Ans. i) 0.43347 ii) 0.56653 iii) 0.146525 iv) 0.018316
#.13 At a busy traffic intersection the probability ‘p’ of an individual car having an accident is very small, say, 0.0001. However,
during a certain part of the day, say, between 4 pm and 6 pm, a large number of cars pass through the intersection say, 1000.
Under these conditions, what is the probability of two or more accident occurring during that period a) using binomial
distribution b) using Poisson approximation to Binomial distribution.
Ans. a) 0.0046748 b) 0.0046788
#.14 The probability of an item produced by a certain machine will be defective is 0.05. If the produced items are sent to the
market in packets of 20, find the number of packets containing i) exactly 2 ii) at least 2 defective items in a consignment of 1000
packets using a) Binomial distribution b) Poisson approximation to a binomial distribution.
Ans. (a) i) 0.188677 ii) 0.26416 (b) i) 0.18394 ii) 0.264241
#.15 An automatic machine produces 100 spools of brass wire per hour. Studies have shown that on an average, three spools of
wire turn out to be defective among these 100 spools. Assuming a Poisson distribution, find the probability of the machine
producing at least two defective spools per hour. Ans. 0.800852
#.16 If X is Poisson random variable such that P(X = 1) = 0.4 and P(X = 2) = 0.2. Calculate P(X = 0).

Problems on Normal Distribution

#.17 In a sample of 1,000 items, the mean weight and standard deviation are 45 kgs and 15 kgs respectively. Assuming the
distribution to be normal, find the number of items weighing between 40 kgs and 60 kgs.
[Ans. P(40<X<60)=0.47064, So Number = 470.64=471]
#.18 Plastic rods are automatically cut into lengths of 6 inches. Actual lengths are normally distributed about a mean of 6 inches
and their standard deviation is 0.06 inch.
a) What proportion of the rods exceeds tolerance limits of 5.9 inches to 6.1 inches?
b) To what value does the standard deviation need to be reduced if 99% of the rods must be within tolerance? [Ans. (a)
P(Within tolerance) = P(5.9<X<6.1)=0.905081,
So P(exceeding tolerance) = 0.094919]
#.19 The mean of the inner diameters of a sample of 200 tubes produced by a machine is 0.502 and the standard deviation is
0.005. The purpose for which these tubes are intended allows a maximum tolerance in the diameter of 0.496 to 0.508 (I.e.,
otherwise tubes are considered defective). What percentage of the tubes produced by the machine is defective if the diameters are
found to be normally distributed? Ans. 0.7699
#.20 Chief of Army assumes that height of soldiers is normally distributed with mean 68.22 inches with a variance 10.8 inches. If
a regiment is to form with 1000 soldiers, how many soldiers in a regiment would he expect to be over six feet tall?
Ans. 1000 x 0.874973 = 875 (approx.)
#.21 Given a random variable having the normal distribution with  = 16.2 and 2 = 1.5265, find the probabilities that it will take
on a value
a) greater than 16.8
b) less than 14.9
c) between 13.6 and 18.8 Ans. a) 0.315614 b) 0.14917 c) 0.962474
#.22 During periods of transcendental meditation the reduction of a person’s oxygen consumption is a random variable having a
normal distribution with mean 37.6 cc per minute and standard deviation 4.6 cc per minute. Find the probabilities that during a
period of transcendental meditation a person’s oxygen consumption will be reduced by
a) at least 44.5 per minutes
b) anywhere from 30.0 to 40.0 cc per minute. Ans. a) 0.066807 b) 0.649824
#.23 The time to microwave a bag of popcorn using the automatic setting can be treated as a random variable having a normal
distribution with standard deviation 10 seconds. If the probability is 0.8212 that the bag will take less than 282.5 seconds to pop,
find the probability that
a) it will take longer than 258.3 seconds to pop, and
b) it will take a value greater than 39.2 seconds. Ans. a) 0.9332 b)
#.24 What do you mean by a normally distributed data set? What are the advantages of normal distribution over other
distributions?
(i) Suppose that X has distribution N(,2). Determine C (as a function of  and ) such that P(X <= C) = P(X > C).
(ii) The annual rainfall at a certain locality is known to be normally distributed random variable with mean value equal to
29.5 inches and standard deviation of 2.5 inches. How many inches of rain (annually) exceeded about 5% of time.
#.25 In a photographic process, the developing time of prints may be looked upon as a random variable having a normal
distribution with a mean of 16.28 and a standard deviation of 0.12 second. Find the probability that
a) It will take anywhere from 16.00 to 16.50 seconds to develop one of the prints,
b) It will take anywhere at least 16.20 seconds to develop one of the prints.
a) 0.956808 b) 0.747507
#.26 If scores are normally distributed with a mean of 30 and a standard deviation of 5, what percent of the scores is a) greater
than 30, b) greater than 37 c) between 28 and 34?
Ans. i) 0.5 ii) 0.080757 iii) 0.443566
#.27 Suppose that X has a normal distribution. What must be the standard deviation of this distribution be if the probability of the
random variable being more than two units away from mean (on either side) is 0.40. Hints: Given P(|X - |  2) = 0.40
Ans. 2.3763659
#.28 If X is normally distributed with mean 25 and variance 36, find
a) P(13 < X < 43)
b) P(X < 43 | X > 13) Ans. i) 0.9759 ii) 0.998619
#.29 The annual rainfall at a certain locality is known to be normally distributed random variable with mean value equal to 29.5
inch and standard deviation of 2.5 inch. How many rain (annually) exceeded about 5% of time. Ans. 33.61213 (~
34)
#.30 a) Determine the following probabilities for the standard normal variable Z:
i) P(-1 < Z < 1) ii) P(0 < Z  3)
b) Determine the value for z that solves each of the following
i) P(Z > z) = 0.881 ii) P(-z < Z < z) = 0.95
#.31 The diameters of ball bearings are normally distributed with a mean of 2.42 inches and a standard deviation of 0.10 inches.
Determine the percentage of ball bearings with diameter between 2.40 and 2.43. Ans. 0.119088

#.32 Suppose that X, the breaking strength of rope (in pounds) has distribution N(100, 16). Each 100 foot coil of rope brings a
profit of Rs. 25, provided X > 95. If X  95, the rope may be used for a different purpose and a profit of Rs. 10 per coil is
realized. Find the expected profit per unit.
#.33 The life of a particular type of dry cell is normally distributed with mean of 600 days and standard deviation of 60 days.
What fraction of these batteries would be expected to survive beyond 680 days? What fraction would be expected to fail before
560 days?
#.34 A cereal manufacturer claims that boxes of its cereals weigh 20 oz. on average with a population standard deviation of 0.5
oz. A random sample of 100 boxes is selected. What is the probability that sample mean is between 19.9 and 20.1 oz. Assume
that it follows normal distribution.