De La Salle University – Dasmariñas

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMPUTER STUDIES

MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT
City of Dasmariñas, Cavite

SMATH001LA – Data Analytics for Engineering

2nd Semester / Midterm Period / S.Y. 2020-2021

LABORATORY ACTIVITY #2
Probability Distribution
Score:
NAME: DATE:

COURSE/YEAR & SECTION: PROF.:

OBJECTIVES
1. Create a pivot table and data visualization in Microsoft Excel.
2. Clearly organize and compute detailed information about the three data sets.
3. Graph and calculate several descriptive measures of the data set using a variety of methods

TASKS, RESULTS, INTERPRETATION

Categorical Data
Binomial Probability Distribution
Tasks:

1. A trading company uses six

computers to trade on the Orlando Stock
Exchange. The probability of a
computer
failing in a day is 0.321, and the
computers fail independently.
Computers are repaired in the evening,
and each day is
an independent trial. What is the
probability that all six computers fail in
a day?
1.) A trading company uses six computers to trade on the Orlando Stock Exchange. The probability of a
computer failing in a day is 0.321, and the computers fail independently. Computers are repaired in the
evening, and each day is an independent trial. What is the probability that all six computers fail in a day?

Number of Trials (n) 6

Observed Success (x) 6
Prob of Success 0.321
Prob of Failure (q) 0.679
P(x=6) 0.0011
Percentage 0.11%

Interpretation: The results of using a binomial probability distribution show that the chance of all six
computers failing in one day is 0.11%

2.) Military radar and missile detection systems are designed to warn a country of enemy attacks. A reliability
question deals with the ability of the detection system to identify an attack and issue the warning. Assume
that a particular detection system has a 0.90 probability of detecting a missile attack.

a. If two detection systems are installed in the same area and operate independently, what is the probability
that at least one of the systems will detect the attack?

Number of Trials (n) 2

Observed Success (x) 1
Prob of Success 0.90
Prob of Failure (q) 0.10
P(x≥1) 0.9900
Percentage 99%

Interpretation: If two detection systems are put in the same area and operate independently, the result shows
that there is a 99.00% chance that at least one of them will detect the attack.

b. If three systems are installed, what is the probability that at least one of the systems will detect the attack?

Number of Trials (n) 3

Observed Success (x) 1
Prob of Success 0.90
Prob of Failure (q) 0.10
P(x≥1) 0.9990
Percentage 99.9%

Interpretation: If there are three systems, the results indicate that there is a 99.90% chance that at least one of
them will detect the attack.

c. Would you recommend that multiple detection systems be operated? Explain

- I believe that several detection systems should be used. The reason for this is that there are three detection
systems in operation, allowing the attack to be detected quickly.

Poisson Probability Distribution

3.) The number of telephone calls that arrive at a phone exchange is often modelled as a Poisson random
variable. Assume that on the average there are 7 calls per hour.

a) What is the probability that there are exactly 2 calls in one hour?

Mean Number of Occurrences (µ) 7

Number of Occurrence (x) 2
P(x=2) 0.0223
Percentage 2.23%

Interpretation: When there are 7 calls each hour on average, there is a 2.23 percent chance that there
will be exactly 2 calls in one hour.

b) What is the probability that there are four or fewer calls in one hour?

Mean Number of Occurrences (µ) 7

Number of Occurrence (x) 4
P(x≤4) 0.1730
Percentage 17.30%

Interpretation: The result indicates that there is a 17.30 percent chance of four or fewer calls in one
hour.

c) What is the probability that there are exactly 26 calls in two hours?

Mean Number of Occurrences (µ) 14

Number of Occurrence (x) 26
P(x=2) 0.0013
Percentage 0.13%

Interpretation: There is a 0.13 percent chance that there will be exactly 26 calls in two hours.

4.) Customers are known to arrive at La Buena Comida on a random basis with an average number of 24
customers per hour. What is the probability that 3 or less customers will arrive for a particular 10-minute
interval?

Mean Number of Occurrences (µ) 4

Number of Occurrence (x) 3
P(x≤4) 0.4335
Percentage 43.35%
Interpretation: The probability of three or fewer consumers arriving in a 10-minute span is 43.35 %.
Normal Probability Distribution

5.) Sick-leave time used by employees of a firm in one month approximates a normal distribution with
a mean of 179 hours and a variance of 225. Find the probability that the total sick leave for next
month will be less than 202.85 hours.

Mean of Distribution (µ) 179

Variance(σ2) 225
 Value of Particular Observation(x) 202.85
Standard Deviation(σ) 15
P(Z=202.85) 0.9441
Percent 94.41%

Interpretation: The probability of total sick leave for the following month being fewer than 202.85 hours is
94.41%.

6.) General Hospital’s patient account division has compiled data on the age of accounts receivable. The data
collected indicate that the age of the accounts follows a normal distribution with µ = 28 days and  = 8 days.

a. What portion of the accounts is between 20 and 40 days old?

Mean of Distribution (µ) 28
Value of Particular Observation(x1) 20
Value of Particular Observation(x2) 40
Standard Deviation(σ) 8
P(z≤20) 0.1587
P(z≤40) 0.9332
P(20≤z≤40) 0.7745
Percent 77.45%
Interpretation: According to the assessed probability,   there is a 77.45% chance that the accounts are between
20 and 40 days old.

b. The hospital administrator is interested in sending reminder letters to the oldest 15% of accounts. How
many days old should an account be before a reminder letter is sent?
Mean of Distribution (µ) 28
Standard Deviation(σ) 8
Probability of Right side 0.15
Probability of Left side 0.85
Random Variable 36.29

Interpretation: The data indicates that an account should be 36.29 days old before a reminder letter is sent.

c. The hospital administrator wants to give a discount to those accounts that pay their balance by the
twenty-first day. What percentage of the accounts will receive the discount?
Mean of Distribution (µ) 28
Standard Deviation(σ) 8
Value of Particular Observation(x) 21
(P≤21) 0.1908
Percent 19.08%
Interpretation: By the twenty-first day, 19.08 % of the accounts will have received the discount.

Exponential Probability Distribution

7.) Sparagowski & Associates conducted a study of service times at the drive-up window of fast-food
restaurants. The average time between placing an order and receiving the order at McDonald’s restaurants
was 2.78 minutes (The Cincinnati Enquirer, July 9, 2000). Waiting times, such as these, frequently follow an
exponential distribution.

a) What is the probability that a customer’s service time is less than 2 minutes?

Mean of Service Rate (µ) 2.78

Lambda (λ) 0.3597
 variable (x) 2
P(T≤2) 0.5130
Percent 51.30%

Interpretation: The result indicates that the customer’s service time will be less than 2 minutes 51.30 percent.

b) What is the probability that a customer’s service time is more than 5 minutes?

Mean of Service Rate (µ) 2.78

Lambda (λ) 0.3597
variable (x) 5
P(T≥5) 0.1655
Percent 16.55%
Interpretation: According to the  result, there is a 16.55 percent chance that a customer’s service time will
exceed 5 minutes.
Normal Probability Distribution
8.) To boost holiday sales, a jewelry store in Bismarck, North Dakota, is advertising the following promotion: “If
more than seven inches of cumulative snow fall on December 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28, you get your money back
on all purchase made on December 17.” To analyze this promotion, the store manager has collected data and
determined that snowfall over this 5-day period in December is normally distributed with an average of 6
inches and standard deviation of 0.559 inches. What is the probability that the store will have to refund the
money to its December 17 customers?

Mean of Distribution (µ) 6

Standard Deviation(σ) 0.559
Value of Particular
Observation(x) 7
P(Z≥5) 0.0368
Percent 3.68%
Interpretation: The probability of the store having to refund money to clients on December 17 is 3.68 percent.