Exam 5: Some Important Discrete Probability Distributions

TABLE 5-9 A major hotel chain keeps a record of the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 customers. In 2009, the hotel chain had 4.06 mishandled bags per 1,000 customers. Assume that the number of mishandled bags has a Poisson distribution. -Referring to Table 5-9, what is the probability that in the next 1,000 customers, the hotel chain will have more than five but less than eight mishandled bags?

The covariance between two investments is equal to the sum of the variances of the investments.

Suppose that the number of airplanes arriving at an airport per minute is a Poisson process. The average number of airplanes arriving per minute is 3. The probability that exactly 6 planes arrive in the next minute is 0.0504.

Which of the following about the binomial distribution is not a true statement?

A company has 125 personal computers. The probability that any one of them will require repair on a given day is 0.025. To find the probability that exactly 20 of the computers will require repair on a given day, one will use what type of probability distribution?

A probability distribution is an equation that

A lab orders 100 rats a week for each of the 52 weeks in the year for experiments that the lab conducts. Suppose the mean cost of rats used in lab experiments turned out to be $13.00 per week. Interpret this value.

TABLE 5-3 The following table contains the probability distribution for X = the number of retransmissions necessary to successfully transmit a 1024K data package through a double satellite media. -Referring to Table 5-3, the probability of at least one retransmission is ________.

In a game called Taxation and Evasion, a player rolls a pair of dice. If on any turn the sum is 7, 11, or 12, the player gets audited. Otherwise, she avoids taxes. Suppose a player takes 5 turns at rolling the dice. The probability that she gets audited no more than 2 times is ________.

TABLE 5-9 A major hotel chain keeps a record of the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 customers. In 2009, the hotel chain had 4.06 mishandled bags per 1,000 customers. Assume that the number of mishandled bags has a Poisson distribution. -Referring to Table 5-9, what is the probability that in the next 1,000 customers, the chain will have at least one mishandled bag?

TABLE 5-7 There are two houses with almost identical characteristics available for investment in two different neighborhoods with drastically different demographic composition. The anticipated gain in value when the houses are sold in 10 years has the following probability distribution: -Referring to Table 5-7, what is the expected value gain if you invest in both houses?

In a binomial distribution

What type of probability distribution will most likely be used to analyze the number of cars with defective radios in the following problem? From an inventory of 48 new cars being shipped to local dealerships, corporate reports indicate that 12 have defective radios installed. The sales manager of one dealership wants to predict the probability out of the 8 new cars it just received that, when each is tested, no more than 2 of the cars have defective radios.

TABLE 5-7 There are two houses with almost identical characteristics available for investment in two different neighborhoods with drastically different demographic composition. The anticipated gain in value when the houses are sold in 10 years has the following probability distribution: -Referring to Table 5-7, if your investment preference is to minimize the amount of risk that you have to take and do not care at all about the expected return, will you choose a portfolio that will consist of 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 90% of your money on the house in neighborhood A and the remaining on the house in neighborhood B?

What type of probability distribution will the consulting firm most likely employ to analyze the insurance claims in the following problem? An insurance company has called a consulting firm to determine if the company has an unusually high number of false insurance claims. It is known that the industry proportion for false claims is 3%. The consulting firm has decided to randomly and independently sample 100 of the company's insurance claims. They believe the number of these 100 that are false will yield the information the company desires.

TABLE 5-5 From an inventory of 48 new cars being shipped to local dealerships, corporate reports indicate that 12 have defective radios installed. -Referring to Table 5-5, what is the probability out of the 8 new cars it just received that, when each is tested, no more than half of the cars have defective radios?

On the average, 1.8 customers per minute arrive at any one of the checkout counters of a grocery store. What type of probability distribution can be used to find out the probability that there will be no customer arriving at a checkout counter?

An Undergraduate Study Committee of 6 members at a major university is to be formed from a pool of faculty of 18 men and 6 women. If the committee members are chosen randomly, what is the probability that precisely half of the members will be women?

Suppose that past history shows that 60% of college students prefer Brand C cola. A sample of 5 students is to be selected. The probability that more than 3 prefer brand C is ________.

A financial analyst is presented with information on the past records of 60 start-up companies and told that in fact only 3 of them have managed to become highly successful. He selected 3 companies from this group as the candidates for success. To analyze his ability to spot the companies that will eventually become highly successful, he will use what type of probability distribution?