41.

The time to failure of a nickel-cadmium battery is Weibull-distributed with

parameters 𝛾𝛾 = 0, 𝛼𝛼 = 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦, 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝛽𝛽 = 1/4,
1
2

Solution:

Let the time to failure of a battery denote 𝑋𝑋

Then 𝑋𝑋 is Weibull with cumulative distribution function

1�
𝐹𝐹(𝑥𝑥) = 1 − 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 �−(2𝑥𝑥) 4 �, 𝑥𝑥 ≥ 0

(a) Find the fraction of batteries that are expected to fail prior to 1.5 years.
𝑃𝑃(𝑋𝑋 < 1.5) = 𝐹𝐹(1.5)

1�
𝐹𝐹(1.5) = 1 − 𝑒𝑒 �−(2∗1.5)
4 �

= 1 − 𝑒𝑒 [ −1.31607 ]

= 1 − 0.26797 = 0.7318

(b) What fraction of batteries are expected to last longer than the mean life?
Weibull-distributed mean
1
𝜇𝜇 = 𝛼𝛼𝛤𝛤 �1 + �
𝛽𝛽

λ is the scale parameter or sometimes called the characteristic life

𝛽𝛽 is the shape parameter.
Γ(n) represents the gamma function= (n−1)!
1 1
𝜇𝜇 = ∗ 𝛤𝛤 �1 + �
2 1/4

= (1/2)Γ(4 + 1)
= (1/2)Γ(5)
1
= � � 4!
2
 1
= � � ∗ 24
2
= 12 years

The probability of a battery lasting longer than twelve years is

𝑃𝑃(𝑋𝑋 > 12) = 1 − 𝐹𝐹(12)

1�
𝐹𝐹(12) = 1 − 𝑒𝑒 �−(2∗12)
4 �

= 1 − 𝑒𝑒 [ −2.21336 ]

= 1 − 0.10973 = 0.89027

𝑃𝑃(𝑋𝑋 > 12) = 1 − 0.89027

= 0.10973

(c) What fraction of batteries are expected to fail between 1.5 and 2.5 years?

𝑃𝑃(1.5 ≤ 𝑋𝑋 ≤ 2.5) = 𝐹𝐹(2.5) − 𝐹𝐹(1.5) = .0440