AAiT, Center of Biomedical Engineering

Probability and Statistics: Worksheet

By Fikadu M.
1. Give the sample spaces for each of the following experiments.
a. Count the number of voice packets containing only silence produced
from a group of N speakers in a 10-ms period.
b. A block of information is transmitted repeatedly over a noisy channel
until an error-free block arrives at the receiver. Count the number of
transmissions required.
c. Pick a number at random between zero and one.
d. Measure the time between page requests in a Web server.
e. Measure the lifetime of a given computer memory chip in a specified
environment.
f. Determine the values of an audio signal at times t1 and t2.
2. A batch of 50 items contains 10 defective items. Suppose 10 items are
selected at random and tested. What is the probability that exactly 5 of the
items tested are defective?
3. Five people are sitting at a table in a restaurant. Two of them order coffee
and the other three order tea. The waiter forgot who ordered what and puts
the drinks in a random order for the five persons. Specify an appropriate
sample space and determine the probability that each person gets the correct
drink
4. In a group of n boys and n girls, each boy chooses a girl at random and each
girl chooses a boy at random. The choices of the boys and girls are
independent of each other. If a boy and a girl have chosen each other, they
form a couple. What is the probability that no couple will be formed?
5. A ball is selected from an urn containing two black balls, numbered 1 and 2,
and two white balls, numbered 3 and 4. Let the events A, B, and C be
defined as follows:
A = “black ball selected”;
B = “even-numbered ball selected”; and
C = “number of ball is greater than 2.”
a. Are events A and B independent?
b. Are events A and C independent?
c. Are events B and C independent?

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6. A player receives $1 if the number of heads in three coin tosses is 2, $8 if
the number is 3, but nothing otherwise. Find the pmf of the reward Y.
7. A r.v. X is called a Rayleigh r.v. if its pdf is given by

a. Determine the corresponding cdf FX(x).

b. Sketch fx(x) and FX(x) for σ = 1.
8. A player at a fair pays $1.50 to toss a coin three times. The player receives
$1 if the number of heads is 2, $8 if the number is 3, but nothing otherwise.
Find the expected value of the reward Y. What is the expected value of the
gain?
9. Assume that the length of a phone call in minutes is an exponential r.v. X
with parameter λ = 1/10. If someone arrives at a phone booth just before you
arrive, find the probability that you will have to wait
a. less than 5 minutes
b. between 5 and 10 minutes
10.The joint cdf for the pair of random variables (X, Y) is given as follows.
Find the marginal cdf of X and Y.

11.The joint cdf for the pair of random variables (X, Y) is given by:

Find:
a. The marginal cdf’s.
b. The probability of the events:
i. A = {X ≤ 1, Y ≤ 1}
ii. B = {X > x, Y > y},where x, y > 0
iii. C = {1 < X ≤ 2, 2 < Y ≤ 5}
N.B. Questions 10 and 11 are group assignments to be submitted after a
week.