Instructor: Conrad Perez

Student: Jennifer Tofan

Course: Math 21 Online (52031) - Spring Assignment: 8.4
Date: 05/08/23
2023

The probability that a part produced by a certain​factory's assembly line will be defective is 0.042. Find the probabilities that in a run of 50 ​
items, the following results are obtained.
(a) Exactly 4 defective items
(b) No defective items
(c) At least 1 defective item

(​a) If p is the probability of success in a single trial of a binomial​experiment, the probability of x successes and n − x failures in n independent
repeated trials of the​experiment, known as binomial​probability, is as shown below.

x n−x
P(x successes in n trials) = C(n,x) • p • (1 − p)

In this​case, the probability that exactly 4 defective items are found is to be determined.​Therefore, define success as either selecting a
defective item or selecting a​non-defective item. For the purposes of this​solution, define success as selecting a defective item.

In this​case, the number of​trials, n, is 50.

The value of x is the number of successes. In this​case, x is 4.

The probability of​success, p, is 0.042.

If the probability of a defective item is 0.042​, then the probability that exactly 4 items out of 50 will be defective is shown below.

4 50 − 4 4 46
 C(50,4)(0.042) (1 − 0.042) = (230,300)(0.042) (0.958)

Simplify, rounding to four decimal places.   

  
   
  
   
  
   

46
(230,300)(0.042)4 (0.958) ≈ 0.0996

The probability that exactly 4 items will be defective is approximately 0.0996.

(b) The probability that there are no defective items is the probability that exactly 0 items in 50 will be defective.

In this​case, x = 0. Notice that the values of n and p remain the same as in part​(a).

n−x
The probability that exactly zero items are defective is found by letting x = ​0, n = 50​, and p = 0.042 in the formula ​C(n,x) • px • ​(1 − ​p) .

0 50 − 0
P(0) = C(50,0) • (0.042) • (1 − 0.042)

Simplify the resulting​expression, rounding to four decimal places.

P(0) ≈ 0.1170

Thus, the probability that no item is defective is approximately 0.1170.

(c) The probability that at least one item in 50 is defective is equal to the probability of the complement of the event that no item is defective.

The probability that no item is defective was found in part​(b) to be 0.1170.

​P(at least one item is​defective) = 1 − ​P(no items are​defective)

= 1 − 0.1170
= 0.8830

Therefore, the probability that at least one item in 50 is defective is approximately 0.8830.