120MP Tutorial Question Sheet Week 3

CONTINUOUS DISTRIBUTIONS

1. The length of time, X (in hours), that students pay attention during a 1-hour lecture is thought
to have the following probability density function:

f(x) = kx2(1-x)

Sketch this function and then calculate

(a) the constant k,
(b) the mean attention time,
(c) the standard deviation attention time,
(d) the most likely attention time,
(e) the percentage of students who pay attention for less than 20 minutes.

2. The random number facility on your calculator is equally likely to give you any number
between 0 and 1.
(a) Sketch the probability density function and write down f(x).
(b) Calculate the probability that a random number is between 0.3 and 0.7.
(c) Calculate the mean and variance of these random numbers.

3. The length of each side of a cube is X cm, where X has probability density function

f(x) = k/x2 1≤x ≤2

(a) Find k.
(b) Calculate the median of X.
(c) Calculate the IQR of X.
(d) Find the mean volume of the cube.

4. Petrol is delivered to a garage every Monday morning. The weekly demand for petrol at this
garage is X thousand gallons, where X has probability density function

f(x) = x(a – bx) 1 ≤x≤3

(a) Given that the mean weekly demand is 1800 gallons, find a and b.
(b) Calculate the most likely weekly demand.
(c) Calculate the probability that the weekly demand is more than 2000 gallons.
(d) Calculate the expected number of gallons sold per week, if the garage’s storage
tanks are filled to their total capacity of 2000 gallons every Monday morning.

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120MP Tutorial Question Sheet Week 3

CUMULATIVE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS

1. The length of time, X (in hours), that students pay attention during a 1-hour lecture is thought
to have the following probability density function:

f(x) = 12x2(1-x) 0≤x≤1

(a) Determine the cumulative distribution function, F(x).

(b) Calculate the probability that a student’s attention span is
(i) less than 15 minutes,
(ii) more than 45 minutes,
(iii) between 15 and 30 minutes.
(c) Sketch F(x) and hence estimate the median and quartiles.

2. The random number X has probability density function

f(x) = 0.25 -2 ≤ x ≤ 2

(a) Calculate the cumulative distribution function, F(x).

(b) Hence calculate the quartiles and interquartile range.

3. A model for the annual salary X (in £1000) paid to people in a particular job has the cumulative
distribution function

F(x) = 0 x8
= 1 - k/x2 x>8

(a) Without calculating f(x), determine the value of k.

(b) Determine f(x) and sketch it.
(c) Calculate the mean, median and mode salary.
(d) What percentage of workers earn less than the mean salary?

4. The continuous random variable X has the following cumulative distribution function:

F(x) =0 x<-2
= (2+x) / 12 -2  x < 0
= (1+x) / 6 0x<4
= (6+x) / 12 4x<6
=1 x≥6

Find the pdf of X and sketch it

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120MP Tutorial Question Sheet Week 3

Rectangular and Exponential Distributions

1. The current (in mA) measured in a particular piece of wire is known to follow a uniform
distribution over the interval [0, 25].
a) Write down the probability density function f (x) of the random variable X representing
the current.
b) Calculate the mean and variance of the distribution
c) find the cumulative distribution function F (x).

2. In the manufacture of petroleum the distilling temperature, T, is crucial in determining the

quality of the final product. T can be considered as a random variable uniformly distributed
over 150oC to 300oC. It costs £C1 to produce 1 gallon of petroleum. If the oil distills at
temperatures less than 2000 C the product sells for £C2 per gallon. If it distills at a
temperature greater than 200oC it sells for £C3 per gallon. Find an expression for the
expected net profit per gallon.

3. Commonly, car cooling systems are controlled by electrically driven fans.

a) Assuming that the lifetime T in hours of a particular make of fan can be modelled by an
exponential distribution with λ = 0.0003 find the proportion of fans which will give at least
10000 hours service.
b) If the fan is redesigned so that its lifetime may be modelled by an exponential distribution
with λ = 0.00035, would you expect more or fewer fans or to give at least 10000 hours
service?

4. The time intervals between successive barges passing a certain point on a busy waterway
have an exponential distribution with mean 8 minutes.
a) Find the probability that the time interval between two successive barges is less than 5
minutes.
b) Find a time interval t such that we can be 95% sure that the time interval between two
successive barges will be greater than t.