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Combining Random Variables Answers

The document provides examples of calculating means, variances, and standard deviations for random variables. It includes examples of combining random variables, such as adding or subtracting them. It also provides word problems involving probabilities and expected values related to sales, long distance calls, basketball scoring, photocopy machine costs, soccer goals, and muffin purchases. The document demonstrates how to calculate summary statistics for individual and combined random variables and use them to solve probability and business decision-making problems.

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Rahul Kumar Gupta
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458 views4 pages

Combining Random Variables Answers

The document provides examples of calculating means, variances, and standard deviations for random variables. It includes examples of combining random variables, such as adding or subtracting them. It also provides word problems involving probabilities and expected values related to sales, long distance calls, basketball scoring, photocopy machine costs, soccer goals, and muffin purchases. The document demonstrates how to calculate summary statistics for individual and combined random variables and use them to solve probability and business decision-making problems.

Uploaded by

Rahul Kumar Gupta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Combining Two Random Variables

1. Suppose X and Y are random variables with X =35, X =8, Y =72, Y =4. Given that X and
Y are independent variables, calculate the following:

X Y
10
X Y 7

2X

2 X Y
X Y
X Y

-37

64+16=80

80 8.94
80 8.94

64

2. Now that the new models are here, a car dealership has lowered prices on last years models.
An aggressive salesperson estimates the following probability distribution of X, the number of
cars that shell sell next week.

X
0
1
2
3
4
P( X ) .05 .15 .35 .25 .20
a) Determine the expected value, variance and standard deviation (from homework).
E(X) or mean = (0)(.05)+(1)(.15)+(2)(.35)+(3)(.25)+(4)(.2) = 2.4

2 =1.24
1.24 1.114
b) Suppose that this salesperson earns a $200 commission for each car sold. What are
her expected wages for next week? What is the standard deviation of those wages?
All this means is what now happens to the answers in part a if the numbers are
multiplied by 200?

200 X = (200)(2.4) = $480

200 X = (200)(1.114) = $222.80

c) Suppose the employees complain to the owner about their pay. They want some type
of guaranteed salary and more commission. The owner relents and decides they get
$150 each plus $250 commission for each car sold. What are her expected wages for
next week? What is the standard deviation of those wages?

150 250 X

= 150+(250)2.4) = $750

150 250 X = (250)(1.114) = 278.50

3. The probability distribution below represents (Y) the length of long distance calls in minutes.

Y
5 10 15 20 25
P (Y ) .1 .2 .3 .3 .1
a) What is the expected length of a long distance call? The variance and standard
deviation.
Mean = 15.5 mins
Variance = 32.25
Standard deviation =
5.678 mins

b) Suppose that there is an initial connection charge of $.60 and a further charge of $.015
for each minute. What is the expected cost of a long distance call? What is the
standard deviation of the cost of the call?
Mean = 0.60 + (0.015)(15.5) = $0.8325 = approx. 83 cents per call
Standard deviation = (0.015)(5.678) = $0.08517 = approx. 8.5 cents per call
4. For a given high school basketball team, the number of baskets (X) for the leading scorer is
E(X) = 8.3 with (X) = 1.25 and the number of baskets (Y) for the second leading scorer is
E(Y) = 6.6 with (Y) = 2.31.
a) Together, how many baskets would we expect each game?
8.3 + 6.6 = 14.9 baskets
b) What is the standard deviation of this number?

1.252 2.312 2.63


c) How many more baskets would we expect the leading scorer to have?
X Y = 8.3 6.6 = 1.7 more baskets
d) What is the standard deviation of this number?
1.252 2.312 2.63 (variances can only add)
e) Hypothetically, lets say the leading scorer shoots only 3-point baskets and the second
leading scorer shoots 2-point baskets, how many points would we expect each game
from the two players?
3 X 2Y = (3)(8.3)+(2)(6.6) = 38.1 points
f) What is the standard deviation of this number?

3 X 2Y 3.752 4.622 5.95


5. A department supervisor is considering purchasing one of two comparable photocopy machines, A or B.
Machine A costs $10,000 and machine B costs $10,500. This department replaces photocopy machines
every three years. The repair contract for machine A costs $50 per month and covers an unlimited number
of repairs. The repair contact for machine B costs $200 per repair. Based on past performance, the
distribution of the number of repairs needed over any one-year period for machine B is shown below.
Number of Repairs
0
1
2
3
Probability
0.50 0.25 0.15 0.10
You are asked to give a recommendation based on overall cost as to which machine, A or B, along with its
repair contact, should be purchased. What would your recommendation be? Give a statistical justification
to support your recommendation.
Machine A cost over 3 years (36 months):
$10,000 + 36 $50 = $11,800
Machine B cost over 3 years (36 months):
$10,500 + $200 3 ( 0.5 + 1.25 + 2.15 + 3.10) = $11,010
Go with Machine B
6.

Suppose X and Y are random variables with X =100, X =10, Y =72, Y =18. Given that X
and Y are independent variables, calculate the following:

X Y
X Y

2 X Y
X Y
X Y

2X
x+Y = 172

2x = 100

x-Y = 28

2X+Y = 424 X+Y = 20.59 X-Y = 20.59

7. The following are the distributions for the number of goals scored per soccer game for the
three top forwards from Vareebull High School in Random, Texas.
Xavier

Yousuf

X
0
1
2
P ( X ) .10 .55 .35

Y
0
1
2
P (Y ) .20 .75 .05

Zou

Z
0
1
2
3
P ( Z ) .80 .10 .05 .05

a) Calculate the mean, variance and standard deviation for the number of goals that Xavier
scores.
b) Calculate the mean, variance and standard deviation for the number of goals that Yousuf
scores.
c) Calculate the mean, variance and standard deviation for the number of goals that Zou
scores.
d) Calculate the mean and standard deviation for the number of goals that all three players
score together.
e) Calculate the mean and standard deviation for the difference in goals between Xavier and
Zou.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Xavier:
Yousuf:
Zoue:
All 3:
Xavier-Zoue:

=
=
=
x+y+z

1.25
0.85
0.35
=
2.45
x-z = 0.9

2 = 0.3875
2 = 0.2275
2 = 0.6275
2x+y+z = 1.2425
2x-z = 1.015

= 0.6225
= 0.477
= 0.792
x+y+z = 1.1147
x-z = 1.0075

8. Chen, Hope, Marco and Panchali love to visit the local bakery that specializes in muffins.
Listed below are mean and standard deviation of the number of muffins each buys per visit.
Chen: = 2.3 muffins, = 1.1 muffins
Hope: = 3.9 muffins, = 2.2 muffins
Marco: = 5.2 muffins, = 0.7 muffins
muffins

Panchali: = 4.2 muffins, = 1.4

a) If all four friends visit the bakery, what is the expected number of muffins purchased?
The standard deviation?
b) How many more muffins would we expect Marco to purchase than Chen? The standard
deviation?
c) Hope promised to buy 4 extra muffins for her colleagues. How many muffins would we
expect her to purchase? The standard deviation?
d) The two ladies love going Thursday mornings because all muffins are $2.50 each. How
much would we expect them to spend? The standard deviation?

e) Marco buys the $4 mega muffins and Panchali buys the regular $3.25 muffins. How
much higher will Marcos cost than Panchalis? The standard deviation?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

C+H+M+P = 15.6
2C+H+M+P = 8.5
C+H+M+P
= 2.915
M-C = 2.9
2M-C
= 1.7
M-C
= 1.304
H+4 = 7.9
2H+4 = 4.84
H+4
= 2.2
($2.50) (C+H) = $15.50
2C+H = 6.05
($2.50)C+H = 6.15
The cost: 4(5.2) 3.25(4.2) = $7.15
The standard deviation: 5.34
You get the standard deviation by taking the square root of {(4*0.7) 2 + (3.25*1.4)2}

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