Binomial Distribution Problems

1. If you buy a lottery ticket in 50 lotteries, in each of which your chance of winning a prize is 1/100,
what is .the (approximate probability that you will win a prize (a at least once, (b exactly once, an!
(c at least twice"
#. $ player throws !arts at a target. %n each trial, in!epen!ently of the other trials, he hits the bull&s'eye
with probability .05. (ow many times shoul! he throw so that his probability of hitting the bull&s'eye at
least once is .5"
). $ system has in!epen!ent units, each of. which fails with probability p. *he system fails only if k or
more of the units fail. +rite a general formula for the probability that the system fails"
,. $t least one'half of an airplane&s engines are re-uire! to function in or!er for it to operate. If each
engine in!epen!ently functions with probability .., is a ,'engine plane more likely to operate than a
#'engine plane"
5. $ satellite system consists of , components an! can function a!e-uately if at least # of the ,
components are in working con!ition. If each component is, in!epen!ently, in working con!ition with
probability ./, what is the probability the system functions a!e-uately"
/. *he uni0ersity a!ministration assures a mathematician that he has only chance in 10,000 of being
trappe! in a much'maligne! ele0ator in the buil!ing. If he goes to work 5 !ays a week, 5# weeks a
year, for 10 years, an! always ri!es the ele0ator up to his office when he first arri0es, what is the
probability that he will ne0er be trappe! in the ele0ator on his way up" +hat is the probability that he
will be trappe! once" *wice" $ssume that the outcomes on all the !ays are in!epen!ent (a !ubious
assumption in practice.
1. $ multiple choice exam consists of 1# -uestions, each ha0ing 5 possible answers. *o pass, you must
answer at least 2 out of 1# -uestions correctly. +hat is the probability of passing if 3
a. 4ou go into the exam without knowing a thing, an! ha0e to resort to pure guessing"
b. 4ou ha0e stu!ie! enough so that on each -uestion, ) choices can be eliminate!. 5ut then you ha0e
to make a pure guess between the remaining # choices.
c. 4ou ha0e stu!ie! enough so that you know for sure the correct answer on # -uestions. 6or the
remaining 10 -uestions you ha0e to resort to pure guessing.
.. 7uppose a warship takes / shots at a target, an! it takes at least , hits to sink it. If the warship has a
recor! of hitting with #08 of its shots, in the long run9
a. +hat is the chance of sinking the target"
b. +as :in!epen!ence; a crucial assumption !i! you make in part a."