Continuous distributions 3A

1 a Sketching the function:

There are negative values for f(x) when 1 x  0 , so this is not a probability density function.

b Sketching the function:

There is no negative value of f(x)

3
3 é x3 ù 27 1 26
Area under f (x) = ò x dx = ê ú =
2
 =
1
ë 3 û1 3 3 3
Area is not equal to 1, therefore this is not a valid probability density function.
1
c When f(x) = 0, x = 2 3 = 1.26 (2 d.p) . So for 1 x  1.26 , f(x) < 0. As there are negative values
for f(x), this is not a probability density function.

Alternatively, reach this result by sketching the function:

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2 The area under the curve must equal 1, so:
2
ò
4
k( x 2  1)dx = 1
2
é x3 ù
k ê  xú = 1
ë3 û 4
æ æ 8 ö æ 64 ö ö
k ç ç  + 2÷  ç  + 4 ÷ ÷ = 1
èè 3 ø è 3 øø
æ 56 ö
k ç  2÷ = 1
è 3 ø
50
k =1
3
3
k=
50

3 a For the non-zero parts of the function, its graph is a straight line running from (2, 0) to (6, 0.5).

æ 8ö æ 2ö
b For the non-zero parts of the function, its graph is a straight line running from ç 1, ÷ to ç 4, ÷ .
è 15 ø è 15 ø

4 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

3
ò1
kx d x = 1
3
é kx 2 ù
ê ú =1
ë 2 û1
9k k
 =1
2 2
4k = 1
1
k=
4

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 3
4 b ò0
kx 2 d x = 1
3
é kx 3 ù
ê ú =1
ë 3 û0
27k
=1
3
9 k =1
1
k=
9
2
c ò
1
k (1+ x 2 )dx = 1
2
é x3 ù
k êx + ú = 1
ë 3 û 1
ææ 8ö æ 1ö ö
k ç ç 2 + ÷  ç 1 ÷ ÷ = 1
èè 3ø è 3ø ø
æ 9ö
k ç 3+ ÷ = 1
è 3ø

6k = 1
1
k=
6

5 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

2
ò0
k (4  x)dx = 1
2
é x2 ù
k ê 4x  ú = 1
ë 2 û0
k(8  2) = 1
6k = 1
1
k=
6

æ 2ö æ 2ö
b For the non-zero parts of the function, its graph is a straight line running from ç 0, ÷ to ç 2, ÷ .
è 3ø è 3ø

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 2
2 1 é2 1 ù
5 c P( X  1) = ò (4  x )dx = ê x  x 2 ú
1 6 ë3 12 û1
æ 4 1ö æ 2 1 ö 1 1 5
= ç  ÷ ç  ÷ = + =
è 3 3 ø è 3 12 ø 3 12 12

6 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

2
ò 0
kx 2 (2  x) dx = 1
2
é 2 x3 x 4 ù
kê  ú =1
ë 3 4 û0
æ 16 16 ö
kç  ÷ =1
è 3 4ø
16k
=1
12
3
k = = 0.75
4

1
3 é1 3 ù
1 5
b P(0  X  1) = ò x 2 (2  x)dx = ê x 3  x 4 ú =
0 4
ë2 16 û 0 16

7 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

4
ò 1
kx 3 dx = 1
4
é kx 4 ù
ê ú =1
ë 4 û1
256k k
 =1
4 4
255k
=1
4
4
k=
255
2
2 4 3 é 1 4ù 15 1
b ò
1 255
x dx = ê x ú = =
ë 255 û1 255 17
= 0.0588 (4 d.p.)

8 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

2 3
ò 0
k dx + ò k(2x  3)dx = 1
2
2 3
éë kx ùû0 + éë kx 2  3kx ùû = 1
2

2k + éë(9k  9k)  (4k  6k) ùû = 1

2k + 2k = 1
1
k = = 0.25
4

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8 b For the non-zero parts of the function, its graph is a horizontal line running from (0, 0.25) to
(2, 0.25) and then a straight line from (2, 0.25) to (3, 0.75) .

1 1
c P( X  1) = ò 0.25d x = éë0.25x ùû = 0.25
0 0
1
1 3 2 é1 ù 1 æ 8ö 9
P(Y  1) = ò y dy = ê y 3 ú =  ç  ÷ =
2 16
ë16 û 2 16 è 16 ø 16
As X and Y are independent:
1 9 9
P( X  1Ç Y  1) = P( X  1) ´ P(Y  1) = ´ =
4 16 64

0.5 1 1 0.5
9 a P( X  0.5) = ò (x + 1)dx = éë0.5x 2 + x ùû
0 60 60 0

1 æ 1 1ö 1 5 1
= + = ´ = = 0.0104 (4 d.p.)
60 çè 8 2 ÷ø 60 8 96

æ 1 ö
b For the non-zero parts of the function, its graph is a straight line running from ç 0, ÷ to
è 60 ø
æ 11 ö
ç10, ÷.
è 60 ø

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9 c By definition, every visitor would spend some time (however short) on the site, but the probability
of spending a long time on the site would be very low but not become zero as x gets larger. So in
reality the probability density might look like this:

10 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

5k
ò1 x dx = 1
5
éë k ln x ùû1 = 1
k ln5 = 1
1
k=
ln5

1 41 1 4
b P(2  X  4) = ò
ln5 2 x
dx =
ln5
éë ln x ùû 2
1 ln 2
= (ln 4  ln 2) =
ln5 ln5

11 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

4 k
ò1 x + 2 dx = 1
4
éë k ln(x + 2) ùû 1 = 1
k ln6 = 1
1
k=
ln6

1 3 1 1 3
b P(1  X  3) = ò
ln6 x + 2
1
dx =
ln6
éë ln(x + 2) ùû1
1 ln1.666 …
= (ln 5  ln 3) = = 0.285 (3 d.p.)
ln 6 ln 6

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12 a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:
1
ò k sin px dx = 1
0
1
é k ù
êë  p cos px úû = 1
0

k
p
1   1  = 1
p
k=
2

p
b For the non-zero parts of the function, its graph is a sine curve of amplitude running from
2
(0, 0) to (1, 0) .

1
1 p 13 pé 1 ù3 1 1 1
c P(0  X  ) = ò sin px dx = ê  cos px ú =  + =
3 2 0 2ë p û0 4 2 4

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Challenge

a The area under the curve must equal 1, so:

¥ k
ò1 t 3 dt = 1
¥
é 1 ù
k ê  t 2 ú = 1
ë 2 û1
æ 1ö
k ç 0  () ÷ = 1
è 2ø
k=2
3
1 3 2 1 8
b i P(0  T  ) = ò 3 d t = ëé t 2 ûù = 1  =
3 1 t 9 9
1

¥
¥ 2 1 1
ii P(T  20) = ò dt = éë t 2 ùû = 2 =
20 t 3 20 400
20

2p
2p 2 1 1
c P( p  T  2 p) = ò 3
dt = éë t 2 ùû = 2  2
p t p p 4p
1 1
So 2
 2 = 0.12
p 4p
3
 = 0.12
4 p2
3 1 1
 p2 = = = = 6.25
4 ´ 0.12 4 ´ 0.04 0.16
 p = 2.5

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