A discrete random variable has possible values , , and . Its probability distribution is given by , , and .
Determine the value of .
Find .
player's reward, in euros, is . Find the entry fee that makes the player's expected net gain equal to zero.
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The volume of juice placed in a bottle is modelled by a normal distribution with mean and standard deviation .
Using the empirical rule, find an interval that contains approximately of bottle volumes.
Calculate the probability that a bottle contains less than .
Explain why for this model.
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A random variable has and . A second random variable is defined by .
Find .
Find .
Find the standard deviation of .
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A seed has probability of germinating. A gardener plants seeds. The seeds germinate independently, and is the number that germinate.
State the distribution of .
Calculate the probability that exactly seeds germinate.
Find the mean and the variance of .
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The masses of loaves produced by a bakery are normally distributed with mean grams and standard deviation grams. The mass of a randomly selected loaf is denoted by .
Find .
The heaviest of loaves have mass greater than grams. Find .
In one day, loaves are produced. Estimate the number with mass greater than grams.
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A player pays an entry fee of euros to play a game. The player receives no prize with probability , receives euros with probability , and receives a jackpot with probability .
When the jackpot is euros, calculate the player's expected net gain from one game.
The game is played times with the jackpot fixed at euros. Find the organizer's expected profit.
Find the jackpot value that would make the game fair to the player.
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A factory produces electronic components. Each component has probability of being defective, independently of all other components. A batch contains components, and is the number of defective components in a batch.
Calculate the probability that a batch contains at least one defective component.
Calculate the probability that exactly components are defective.
Find the expected total number of defective components in such batches.
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A random sample of six measurements is , , , , , .
Calculate the unbiased estimate of the population mean.
Calculate the variance of these measurements using divisor .
Hence calculate the unbiased estimate of the population variance.
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Calls arrive at a help desk at a mean rate of calls per hour. The number of calls is modelled by a Poisson distribution.
Find the mean number of calls in a -minute period.
Calculate the probability of exactly calls in a -minute period.
Calculate the probability of at least calls in a -minute period.
State two assumptions required for the Poisson model to be appropriate.
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The number of customers who purchase a warranty during one day is modelled by . It is known that .
Determine the value of .
Find .
Calculate the probability that more than customers purchase a warranty.
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The time , in minutes, taken by a runner to complete a route is normally distributed. The th percentile is minutes and the th percentile is minutes.
Determine the mean completion time.
Find the standard deviation of the completion time.
Calculate the probability that a runner takes more than minutes.
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The random variables and represent the numbers of two types of item in a shipment. They are independent, with , , and . The shipment cost is modelled by .
Find .
Find the standard deviation of .
State why the independence of and is needed in part (b), but not in part (a).
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The numbers of faults detected in one hour by two independent monitoring systems are represented by and .
State the distribution of .
Calculate the probability that at most faults are detected in total.
Find and .
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A communications company studies two situations. In situation A, each of independently transmitted messages has probability of containing an error. In situation B, independent network outages occur at a uniform mean rate of per week.
Identify an appropriate probability distribution for the number of messages containing an error in situation A. Justify your answer.
Calculate the probability that at least messages contain an error in situation A.
Identify an appropriate probability distribution for the weekly number of outages in situation B, and find the probability of no outages in a week.
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The number of customers arriving at a kiosk in one hour is modelled by . Assume that customers arrive according to a homogeneous Poisson process with a constant rate. The probability that no customers arrive in one hour is .
Determine the value of .
Find .
Calculate the probability that at least one customer arrives during a -minute period.
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A quality score is defined by , where .
Find .
Find .
Calculate .
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At a school fair, the number of tokens won in a game is represented by the discrete random variable . Its probability distribution is shown in the table.
0 | |
2 | |
5 | 0.30 |
9 | 0.20 |
Determine the value of .
Find .
The player receives cents for each token won.
Given that each token is worth cents, determine the entry fee, in cents, that makes the game fair.
Given that the player wins at least tokens, find the probability that the player wins tokens.
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A wildlife survey estimates that each photograph taken by a motion-sensitive camera has probability of showing a fox. The photographs are assumed to be independent. Let be the number showing a fox among the next photographs.
(a)
State the distribution of .
Calculate the probability that exactly photographs show a fox.
(b)
Calculate .
Given that at least photographs show a fox, calculate the probability that at least show a fox.
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The operating time , in hours, of a rechargeable lamp is normally distributed with mean hours and standard deviation hours.
Write down the distribution of .
Calculate the probability that a randomly selected lamp operates for between and hours.
The longest-lasting of lamps operate for more than hours. Find .
retailer sells lamps. Estimate the number expected to operate for more than hours.
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An insurer offers one-year protection for a portable music player. The claim payment , in dollars, for one policy has the distribution shown in the table.
Claim payment, [$] | Probability, |
|---|---|
0 | 0.55 |
120 | 0.30 |
400 | 0.12 |
1000 | 0.03 |
Find the expected claim payment, .
Each policy has an administrative cost of dollars. Find the premium that gives the insurer an expected profit of zero.
The insurer charges a premium of dollars for each policy.
Find the probability that the claim payment for a policy is at least dollars.
The insurer sells policies. Find its expected total profit.
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A commuter uses a bicycle-sharing station on eight mornings. On each morning, the probability that no bicycle is available is . Availability on different mornings is independent. The probability that a bicycle is available on all eight mornings is .
Show that .
Determine .
For the next mornings, assume that the probability remains and that mornings are independent. Let be the number of mornings on which no bicycle is available. Use if you did not obtain an answer to part (a)(ii).
Find and .
Calculate the probability that no bicycle is available on at least mornings.
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The daily energy use , in kilowatt-hours, of a particular household is normally distributed. It is known that and .

Determine the mean of .
Determine the standard deviation .
Use if you did not obtain answers to part (a).
Calculate .
Find the value such that .
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A basketball player makes a free throw with probability . The outcomes of successive free throws are independent. During a training exercise, the player takes free throws. Let be the number made.
Find and .
Calculate the probability that the player makes exactly free throws.
Calculate the probability that the player makes at least free throws.
Given that the player makes at least free throws, find the probability that exactly are made.
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The lifetime , in days, of a water-purification cartridge is normally distributed with mean days and standard deviation days.
Calculate the probability that a cartridge lasts between and days.
The shortest-lasting of cartridges are classified as premature failures. Find the greatest lifetime classified as a premature failure.
Assume that cartridge lifetimes are independent.
shipment contains cartridges. Find the expected number of premature failures.
Calculate the probability that at least one of cartridges selected independently from the population is a premature failure.
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The number of maintenance tasks completed by a technician during one session is represented by the random variable with the distribution shown in the table.
1 | 0.20 | 74 |
2 | 0.50 | 68 |
4 | 0.30 | 56 |
Find .
Find .
Let be the performance index.
Find and .
Find .
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Two independent random variables and represent the masses, in kilograms, of two materials used in a manufacturing process. It is known that , , and . The production cost, in dollars, is modelled by , and a balance index is defined by .
The production cost, in dollars, is modelled by .
Find .
Find the standard deviation of .
balance index is defined by .
Find and .
State why independence is required when finding but not when finding .
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A random sample of travel times, in minutes, is summarized in the frequency table.
Travel time [min] | Frequency |
|---|---|
10 | 2 |
12 | 3 |
15 | 4 |
18 | 1 |
Calculate the unbiased estimate of the population mean.
Calculate the variance of the sample using divisor .
transformed travel-time score is defined by .
Hence find the unbiased estimate of the population variance of .
Let , where and are measured in minutes. Find unbiased estimates of the population mean and variance of .
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Small cracks along a walking trail occur independently at a uniform mean rate of cracks per kilometres. Let be the number of cracks along a randomly selected kilometre section.
State the distribution of , including its parameter.
Calculate the probability that exactly cracks occur.
Calculate the probability that at most cracks occur.
Given that more than cracks occur, calculate the probability that exactly occur.
State one feature of the context that would make the Poisson model inappropriate.
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At a school fair, a game produces a score with the probability distribution shown. The player receives credits. Different plays are independent.
Score x | P(X=x) |
|---|---|
0 | k |
1 | 2k |
2 | 3k |
3 | 1-6k |
Determine the value of .
Find and .
Find the entry fee that makes the expected net gain to a player equal to zero. If you did not obtain , use this value.
The game is played independently times using the fair entry fee. Find the standard deviation of the organizer's total profit.
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A laboratory independently tests water samples. Each sample has probability of containing a pollutant above a specified limit. Let be the number of samples above the limit.

State the distribution of , including its parameters.
Calculate the probability that at least four samples are above the limit.
Find the mean and variance of .
researcher wants the probability that at least one selected sample is above the limit to be no greater than . Determine the greatest possible number of independently selected samples.
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The time , in minutes, taken by an automated device to complete a cycle is normally distributed. Records show that and .

Determine the mean cycle time.
Find the standard deviation of the cycle time.
cost index is defined by . Find and . If you did not obtain , use this value.
The slowest 2% of cycles are investigated. Find the minimum cycle time that results in an investigation.
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A delivery company records the daily numbers and of two types of special delivery. The variables are independent, with , , and . Daily operating cost is modelled by .
Find the expected daily operating cost.
Find the standard deviation of .
constant subsidy is added to the cost model, with the subsidized cost defined as . Find so that the expected subsidized cost is monetary units, and state its effect on the variance.
The coefficient of is replaced by . Determine so that the contributions of and to the variance are equal.
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A random sample records the number of maintenance tasks completed by workers during one shift.
Tasks completed | Frequency |
|---|---|
2 | 3 |
4 | 5 |
6 | 4 |
8 | 2 |
Calculate an unbiased estimate of the population mean.
Calculate the variance using divisor .
Hence calculate the unbiased estimate of the population variance.
productivity index is defined by . Find unbiased estimates of the population mean and variance of .
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An engineering team studies three processes: errors among independent transmissions, each with probability of error; cracks occurring independently along cable at a uniform mean rate of per metre; and the mass of a component, which is continuous and approximately symmetric with mean grams and standard deviation grams.

Select an appropriate distribution for each process, including all parameters.
Calculate the probability of at least three transmission errors.
Calculate the probability of no cracks along a five-metre cable.
The transmission system automatically repeats a message after an error, making the next transmission more likely to fail. Explain why the binomial model would no longer be appropriate.
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For each policy sold, an insurer pays a claim of , or monetary units with probabilities , and , respectively. The insurer also has an administration cost of monetary units per policy.
Component | Value [MU] | Probability |
|---|---|---|
Claim | 0 | 0.92 |
Claim | 500 | 0.07 |
Claim | 2000 | 0.01 |
Administration cost per policy | 12 | — |
Find the expected claim payment.
Find the premium required for an expected profit of monetary units per policy.
Find the variance of the insurer's profit from one policy.
The insurer sells policies. Assuming independent claims, find the expected total profit and its standard deviation.
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A temperature sensor reports a reading in arbitrary units. The readings are normally distributed with mean and standard deviation . The calibrated temperature is defined by . Two calibration requirements are and .

Determine the positive value of .
Hence determine .
Find . If you did not obtain the calibration, use .
second calibration uses the negative value of satisfying the standard-deviation requirement. Determine its value of and explain how the ordering of readings changes.
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A random sample of five soil-moisture readings, expressed as percentages, is , , , and . Two estimators of population variance are considered: and .
Calculate the sample mean.
Calculate .
Hence calculate .
Over repeated random samples, compare the bias of and as estimators of the population variance.
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An online challenge consists of independent questions. The probability of answering any question correctly is . Let be the number answered correctly. A performance score is defined by .

Find and .
Find and .
Calculate the probability that the performance score is at least .
revised score is , where one additional correct answer must increase the score by points and the expected score must be . Determine and .
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Two independent inspection systems detect different types of flaw in a roll of fabric. The roll is metres long. In each metres, system A detects a mean of flaws and system B detects a mean of flaws. Both counts are modelled by Poisson distributions with uniform rates.
roll is metres long. Let and be the numbers detected by systems A and B, respectively.
State the distributions of and .
Hence state the distribution of the total number of detected flaws.
Find .
Calculate the probability that at most flaws are detected in total.
Given that exactly one flaw is detected in total, find the probability that it is detected by system A.
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A research centre considers three random variables.
Select an appropriate distribution for each of , and , including all parameters.
Explain why a Poisson distribution is more appropriate for than a binomial distribution.
Calculate .
Calculate the probability that exactly algae cells are observed.
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Requests arrive at an online server independently and at a uniform mean rate. The number of requests from source A in any interval is modelled by a Poisson distribution. The probability of receiving no requests from source A during a two-minute interval is .
Determine the mean number of requests from source A in two minutes.
Hence find the mean number of requests from source A in five minutes.
Requests from source B are modelled by a Poisson distribution independent of source A, with a mean of requests per five minutes. Use a mean of for source A if you did not obtain an answer to part (a)(ii).
State the distribution of the total number of requests from both sources during five minutes.
Calculate the probability that at least requests arrive in total.
Given that exactly one request arrives, find the probability that it is from source A.
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A delivery company records two independent random variables each day. The number of priority deliveries completed satisfies . The number of failed delivery attempts satisfies .
(a)
Find , , and .
daily performance score is defined by . Find .
(b)
Find and the standard deviation of .
bonus is awarded when . Calculate the probability that a bonus is awarded.
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During a -minute period, bicycles arrive independently at a repair station from two routes. The numbers arriving from routes A and B are modelled by independent Poisson distributions with means and , respectively.

State the distribution of the total number of bicycles arriving in minutes.
Calculate the probability that at least six bicycles arrive in minutes.
For a two-hour period, assume that these arrival rates continue uniformly over the four successive 30-minute intervals. Let be the total number of bicycles arriving in two hours. Determine the smallest capacity such that .
Arrival rates are much higher immediately after nearby sporting events. Explain why the two-hour capacity calculation may then be unreliable.
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A theatre has seats. Each ticket holder independently fails to attend with probability . If tickets are sold, let be the number of ticket holders who do not attend.

For , state the distribution of and the condition on for at least one customer to be turned away.
Calculate the probability that at least one customer is turned away when tickets are sold.
Find the expected number of ticket holders who attend when tickets are sold.
The theatre requires the probability of turning away a customer to be no greater than . Use technology to determine the greatest number of tickets it may sell.
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Minor and major alerts arrive independently at a control centre. In one hour, the numbers of minor and major alerts are modelled by and , respectively. A minor alert requires minutes of work and a major alert requires minutes.

State the distribution of the total number of alerts in one hour.
Calculate the probability of exactly five alerts in an hour.
Let be the total number of minutes of work generated in an hour. Find and .
Explain why is not itself a Poisson random variable, even though and are independent Poisson variables.
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The diameters , in millimetres, of circular seals are normally distributed. The lower quartile is mm and the upper quartile is mm.

Determine the mean diameter.
Use the normal distribution model to answer the following two parts.
Determine the standard deviation.
Seals are accepted when their diameters are between mm and mm. Calculate the probability that a randomly selected seal is accepted. If you did not obtain , use this value.
The manufacturer wants a symmetric acceptance interval centred at mm that accepts of seals. Determine the endpoints of this interval.
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Meteor trails are detected independently by an observatory at a uniform average rate. The probability that no trail is detected during a -minute interval is . Let denote the number detected during minutes.

Determine the mean number of trails detected in minutes.
Calculate the probability that at least three trails are detected in minutes.
Find the shortest whole number of minutes for which the expected number detected is at least .
During some months, cloud cover causes detections to occur in clusters separated by long periods with no observations. Explain why the Poisson model may then be unsuitable.
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A renewable-energy site earns monetary units for each usable battery module produced and pays a fixed daily operating cost of monetary units. The numbers of usable modules produced independently by lines A and B are and , where , , and . Daily profit is .

Find the expected daily profit.
Find the standard deviation of the daily profit.
subsidy of monetary units is added each day. Determine so that expected profit is monetary units, and state the resulting variance.
On very hot days, both production lines are affected by the same cooling failure. Suppose that . Explain how this affects the variance calculated in part (b)(i).
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