Tutorial Hours

CO1 : Tutorial Problems

Problems on Random Variables, Probability functions, Probability Density Functions,

Cumulative distributive Functions (both Discreate and Continuous case):
Refer the Course material for problems.

Problems on Binomial Distributions:

Main Problem : A manufacturer of light bulbs claims that 80% of its bulbs meet the quality
standards. A sample of 10 light bulbs is randomly selected from the production line.

a) What is the probability that exactly 7 bulbs in the sample meet the quality standards?
b) Calculate the probability that at least 9 bulbs in the sample meet the quality standards.
c) Find the expected number of bulbs that meet the quality standards in the sample.
d) Determine the standard deviation of the number of bulbs that meet the quality standards in
the sample.

Solution:
Binomial Distribution: The binomial distribution is used to model the number of successes in
a fixed number of independent Bernoulli trials, where each trial has two possible outcomes:
success (S) or failure (F).

Probability Mass Function (PMF): The binomial distribution has a PMF that gives the
probability of getting exactly k successes in n trials. The PMF is given by:
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑘) = 𝐶(𝑛, 𝑘) ∗ 𝑝𝑘 ∗ (1 − 𝑝)𝑛−𝑘 , where X is the random variable representing the
number of successes, n is the number of trials, p is the probability of success in a single trial,
and 𝐶(𝑛, 𝑘) is the binomial coefficient and 𝑞 = 1 − 𝑝

Cumulative Probability: The cumulative probability is the probability of getting k or fewer

successes in n trials. It can be calculated by summing the probabilities of getting k or fewer
successes for each k from 0 to the desired number.

a) Probability of exactly 7 bulbs meeting the quality standards (k = 7):

Using the binomial PMF, we have:

𝑛 = 10 (number of bulbs in the sample)
𝑝 = 0.8 (probability of a bulb meeting the quality standards)

𝑃(𝑋 = 7) = 𝐶(10, 7) ∗ (0.8)^7 ∗ (1 − 0.8)^(10 − 7)

𝑃(𝑋 = 7) = 120 ∗ 0.32768 ∗ 0.0016

𝑃(𝑋 = 7) = 0.0624
 Tutorial Hours

So, the probability that exactly 7 bulbs in the sample meet the quality standards is 0.0624 or
6.24%.

b) Probability of at least 9 bulbs meeting the quality standards:

We need to find the cumulative probability of 9 or more successes:

𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 9) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 9) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 10)

Using the binomial PMF as before:

𝑃(𝑋 = 9) = 𝐶(10, 9) ∗ (0.8)^9 ∗ (1 − 0.8)^(10 − 9)
𝑃(𝑋 = 10) = 𝐶(10, 10) ∗ (0.8)^10 ∗ (1 − 0.8)^(10 − 10)

𝑃(𝑋 = 9) = 10 ∗ 0.1073741824 ∗ 0.0000000002

𝑃(𝑋 = 10) = 0.1073741824 ∗ 0.0000000001

𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 9) = 0.0000000002 + 0.0000000001

𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 9) = 0.0000000003

So, the probability that at least 9 bulbs in the sample meet the quality standards is
approximately 0.00000003 or 0.000003%.

c) Expected number of bulbs meeting the quality standards:

The expected value (mean) of a binomial distribution is given by:

𝐸(𝑋) = 𝑛 ∗ 𝑝

𝐸(𝑋) = 10 ∗ 0.8
𝐸(𝑋) = 8

So, the expected number of bulbs that meet the quality standards in the sample is 8.

d) Standard deviation of the number of bulbs meeting the quality standards:

The standard deviation of a binomial distribution is given by:

𝜎 = √(𝑛 ∗ 𝑝 ∗ (1 − 𝑝))

𝜎 = √(10 ∗ 0.8 ∗ 0.2)

𝜎 = √1.6
𝜎 ≈ 1.2649

So, the standard deviation of the number of bulbs that meet the quality standards in the sample
is approximately 1.2649.

Tutorial Problems:
Problem 1:
Problem 1:
 Tutorial Hours

In a basketball free-throw competition, a player has a 70% chance of making each free throw.
If the player takes 10 free throws, what is the probability that they make exactly 7 of them?

Solution:

Let X be the random variable representing the number of successful free throws in 10 attempts.

𝑛 = 10 (number of trials)
𝑝 = 0.70 (probability of success in a single trial)
𝑘 = 7 (number of successful free throws we want to calculate the probability for)

Using the binomial probability formula: 𝑃 (𝑋 = 𝑘) = 𝐶 (𝑛, 𝑘) = 𝑛𝐶𝑘 ∗ 𝑝𝑘 ∗ (1 − 𝑝)𝑛 − 𝑘

where C(n, k) is the binomial coefficient (number of ways to choose k successes out of n trials):

𝐶(10, 7) = 10! / (7! ∗ (10 − 7)!) = 120

𝑃(𝑋 = 7) = 120 ∗ (0.70)^7 ∗ (1 − 0.70)^(10 − 7) ≈ 0.2668

Answer: The probability that the player makes exactly 7 free throws out of 10 is approximately
0.2668 or 26.68%.
Problem 2
A multiple-choice test consists of 10 questions, and each question has 5 possible choices. If a
student guesses the answers to all 10 questions, what is the probability that the student gets
atleast 5 correct?

Solution:

Let X be the random variable representing the number of correct answers in 10 attempts.

𝑛 = 10 (number of trials/questions)
𝑝 = 1/5 (probability of guessing the correct answer in a single trial)
𝑘 = 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (number of correct answers we want to calculate the probability for)

We need to find the probability of getting at least 5 correct answers, which is the sum of the
probabilities of getting 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 correct answers:

𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 5) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 5) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 6) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 7) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 8) + 𝑃(𝑋

= 9) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 10)

Using the binomial probability formula for each value of k and summing them up:

𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 5) ≈ 0.0315 + 0.1362 + 0.2949 + 0.3150 + 0.1860 + 0.0339 ≈ 1.0

 Tutorial Hours

Answer: The probability that the student gets at least 5 correct answers out of 10 is
approximately 1.0 or 100%. This makes sense since even if the student guesses randomly, they
are likely to get some questions correct by chance.

Tutorial Problems:
1) A basketball player has a free throw success rate of 80%. He takes 10 free throws.
a) Calculate the probability that he makes exactly 8 free throws. b) Find the probability that he
makes at most 6 free throws.

2) In a multiple-choice test, each question has 5 options, and only one of them is correct. If a
student guesses the answers to 15 questions,
a) Find the probability that the student gets exactly 6 questions correct. b) Calculate the
probability that the student gets more than 10 questions correct.

3) A factory produces light bulbs, and 5% of the bulbs are defective. If a sample of 20 bulbs is
randomly selected from the production line,
a) Calculate the probability that exactly 2 bulbs are defective. b) Find the probability that at
most 3 bulbs are defective.

4)A marketing team is conducting phone surveys to determine customer satisfaction. The team
knows that 30% of customers are satisfied with their products. If the team conducts 50 surveys,
a) Find the probability that exactly 20 customers are satisfied. b) Calculate the probability that
more than 15 customers are satisfied.

Problems on Poisson distributions:

Main Problem:

A bakery receives an average of 25 customers per hour. Let X be the random variable
representing the number of customers that arrive in an hour.

a) Calculate the probability that there are exactly 20 customers in an hour.

b) Find the probability that there are at most 15 customers in an hour.
c) Calculate the expected number of customers in an hour.
d) Determine the standard deviation of the number of customers in an hour.

Solution:

a) Probability of exactly 20 customers in an hour (k = 20):

To calculate this probability, we use the Poisson probability mass function:

𝑃(𝑋 = 20) = (𝑒^(−25) ∗ 25^20) / 20!

Now, using a calculator, we can evaluate this expression:

 Tutorial Hours

𝑃(𝑋 = 20) ≈ 0.0446

So, the probability that there are exactly 20 customers in an hour is approximately 0.0446 or
4.46%.

b) Probability of at most 15 customers in an hour:

To find this probability, we calculate the cumulative probability up to 15 customers:

𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 15) = 𝛴 [𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑘) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑘 = 0 𝑡𝑜 15]

𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 15) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 0) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2) + . . . + 𝑃(𝑋 = 15)

Using the Poisson probability mass function for each value of k, we can find the probabilities
and then sum them up:

𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 15) ≈ 0.000000002 + 0.00000006 + 0.00000148 + . . . + 0.0163

𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 15) ≈ 0.0395

So, the probability that there are at most 15 customers in an hour is approximately 0.0395 or
3.95%.

c) Expected number of customers in an hour:

The expected value of a Poisson random variable is equal to its average rate (λ). In this case,
the average rate is given as 25 customers per hour.

Expected value (mean) = 𝜆 = 25 customers

So, the expected number of customers in an hour is 25 customers.

d) Standard deviation of the number of customers in an hour:

The standard deviation of a Poisson random variable is the square root of its average rate (λ).

Standard deviation = √𝜆 = √25 ≈ 5

So, the standard deviation of the number of customers in an hour is approximately 5 customers.

Tutorial Problems:

1. Example: Call Center Suppose a call center receives an average of 4 calls per minute.
What is the probability of receiving exactly 6 calls in a given minute?
Solution: Using the Poisson distribution, we can calculate the probability as follows:
𝑃(𝑋 = 6) = (𝑒 −4 ∗ 46 ) / 6!
 Tutorial Hours

Calculating the exponential term and simplifying, we get the probability of receiving exactly 6
calls in one minute.
2. Example: Car Accidents On average, a particular intersection experiences 2 car
accidents per week. What is the probability of having exactly 3 car accidents in a given
week?
Solution: Using the Poisson distribution, we can calculate the probability as follows:
𝑃(𝑋 = 3) = (𝑒 −2 ∗ 23 ) / 3!
Calculating the exponential term and simplifying, we get the probability of having exactly 3
car accidents in one week.
3. Example: Website Visits A website receives an average of 10,000 visits per day. What
is the probability of having exactly 15,000 visits on a specific day?
Solution: Using the Poisson distribution, we can calculate the probability as follows:
𝑃(𝑋 = 15,000) = (𝑒 −10,000 ∗ 10,00015,000 ) / 15,000!
Calculating the exponential term and simplifying, we get the probability of having exactly
15,000 visits on a specific day.

4. A certain website receives an average of 100 visits per hour. Let Z be the random
variable representing the number of visits in an hour.

a) Calculate the probability that there are exactly 120 visits in an hour.
b) Find the probability that there are more than 150 visits in an hour.
Solution

To solve these problems, we can use the Poisson distribution, as it is appropriate for modelling
the number of events (visits in this case) that occur in a fixed interval of time, given an average
rate.

The Poisson probability mass function is given by:

𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑘) = (𝑒 −𝜆 ∗ 𝜆𝑘 ) / 𝑘!

where:

𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑘) is the probability of observing k events,

𝜆 (lambda) is the average number of events per interval (in this case, visits per hour),
𝑒 is the base of the natural logarithm (approximately 2.71828),
𝑘 is the number of events we want to calculate the probability for, and
𝑘! is the factorial of 𝑘 (𝑘! = 𝑘 ∗ (𝑘 − 1) ∗ (𝑘 − 2) ∗ . . .∗ 2 ∗ 1).
Given 𝜆 = 100 (average number of visits per hour):

a) Probability of exactly 120 visits in an hour (k = 120):

𝑃(𝑍 = 120) = (𝑒 −100 ∗ 100120 ) / 120!

We can use a calculator to evaluate this expression:

 Tutorial Hours

𝑃(𝑍 = 120) ≈ 0.0399796

So, the probability that there are exactly 120 visits in an hour is approximately 0.03998 or
3.998%.

b) Probability of more than 150 visits in an hour:

To find this probability, we need to calculate the complement of the probability of having 150
or fewer visits in an hour:

𝑃(𝑍 > 150) = 1 − 𝑃(𝑍 ≤ 150)

Since the Poisson distribution is a discrete distribution, we need to sum up the probabilities for
𝑘 = 0 𝑡𝑜 𝑘 = 150:

𝑃(𝑍 > 150) = 1 − [𝑃(𝑍 = 0) + 𝑃(𝑍 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑍 = 2) + . . . + 𝑃(𝑍 = 150)]

𝑃(𝑍 > 150) = 1 − 𝛴 [𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑘) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑘 = 0 𝑡𝑜 150]

Again, we can use a calculator to compute this probability:

𝑃(𝑍 > 150) ≈ 1 − 0.416541

𝑃(𝑍 > 150) ≈ 0.583459

So, the probability that there are more than 150 visits in an hour is approximately 0.5835 or
58.35%.

Tutorial Problems:
1) A call centre receives, on average, 10 calls per hour. Let Z be the random variable
representing the number of calls received in an hour.
a) Calculate the probability that there are exactly 12 calls in an hour.
b) Find the probability that there are more than 8 calls in an hour.
c) Calculate the expected number of calls in an hour.
d) Determine the standard deviation of the number of calls in an hour.
2) A rare type of bird is known to appear at a particular lake at an average rate of 0.5
sightings per day. Let W be the random variable representing the number of bird sightings in
a day.
a) Calculate the probability that there are exactly 2 bird sightings in a day.
b) Find the probability that there are no bird sightings in a day.
c) Calculate the expected number of bird sightings in a day.
 Tutorial Hours

d) Determine the standard deviation of the number of bird sightings in a day.

Problems on Uniform Distributions:
Main Problem: A company manufactures a certain type of electronic component, and the
time it takes to test each component is uniformly distributed between 4 seconds and 8
seconds.
a) Find the probability that a randomly chosen component will take more than 6 seconds to
test. b) Calculate the expected testing time for these components. c) Determine the standard
deviation of the testing time for these components.
Soultion:
a) Probability of testing time more than 6 seconds:
The probability of an event in a uniform distribution is equal to the ratio of the length of the
interval where the event occurs to the total length of the distribution.
The total length of the distribution (𝑏 − 𝑎) = 8 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 − 4 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 = 4 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
The length of the interval where the testing time is more than 6 seconds = 8 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 −
6 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 = 2 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 > 6 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠)
𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙
=
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 > 6 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠)
2 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
= 4 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 > 6 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠)

= 0.5
So, the probability that a randomly chosen component will take more than 6 seconds to test is
0.5 or 50%.
b) Expected testing time:
The expected value (mean) of a uniform distribution is the average of the minimum and
maximum values of the distribution.
Expected testing time = (𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 + 𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒) /
2 𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = (4 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 + 8 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠) / 2 𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 =
12 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 / 2 𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = 6 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
So, the expected testing time for these components is 6 seconds.
c) Standard deviation of testing time:
The standard deviation of a uniform distribution can be calculated using the following
formula:

Standard deviation = (𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 − 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒) / √12

Standard deviation = (8 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 − 4 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠) / √12 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =

4 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 / √12 Standard deviation ≈ 1.155 seconds
 Tutorial Hours

So, the standard deviation of the testing time for these components is approximately 1.155
seconds.
Tutorial Problems:
1) The time it takes to assemble a product in a factory is uniformly distributed between 10
minutes and 20 minutes.
a) Find the probability that it takes less than 15 minutes to assemble a product.
b) Calculate the expected assembly time for the products.
c) Determine the standard deviation of the assembly time for the products.
2) The weight of a certain fruit basket is uniformly distributed between 1 kg and 2.5 kg.
a) Find the probability that a randomly chosen fruit basket weighs more than 1.8 kg.
b) Calculate the expected weight of these fruit baskets.
c) Determine the standard deviation of the weight of these fruit baskets.
2) The time it takes to assemble a product in a factory is uniformly distributed between 10
minutes and 20 minutes.
a) Find the probability that it takes less than 15 minutes to assemble a product.
b) Calculate the expected assembly time for the products.
c) Determine the standard deviation of the assembly time for the products.

Problems on Normal Distribution

Main Problem:
The weights of a certain population of apples follow a normal distribution with a mean of 150
grams and a standard deviation of 10 grams.
a) Find the probability that a randomly selected apple from this population weighs between
140 and 160 grams.
b) Calculate the mean weight of the apples in this population.
c) Determine the standard deviation of the weights of the apples in this population.
Solution:
a) Probability of weight between 140 and 160 grams:
To find this probability, we need to use the properties of the standard normal distribution (z-
distribution) since we are given the mean and standard deviation of the population.
First, we standardize the values 140 and 160 using the formula:

𝑧 = (𝑋 − 𝜇) / 𝜎
 Tutorial Hours

where X is the value, μ is the mean, and σ is the standard deviation.

For 140 grams:

𝑧1 = (140 − 150) / 10 = −1
For 160 grams:
𝑧2 = (160 − 150) / 10 = 1
Now, we use a standard normal distribution table or calculator to find the probabilities
associated with these z-scores.
𝑃(140 < 𝑋 < 160) = 𝑃(−1 < 𝑍 < 1)
From the standard normal distribution table, 𝑃(𝑍 < 1) ≈ 0.8413, and 𝑃(𝑍 < −1) ≈
0.1587.
𝑃(−1 < 𝑍 < 1) = 𝑃(𝑍 < 1) − 𝑃(𝑍 < −1) = 0.8413 − 0.1587 ≈ 0.6826

So, the probability that a randomly selected apple from this population weighs between 140
and 160 grams is approximately 0.6826 or 68.26%.
b) Mean weight of the apples in this population:
The mean of the normal distribution is already given as 150 grams.
Mean = 𝜇 = 150 grams
So, the mean weight of the apples in this population is 150 grams.
c) Standard deviation of the weights of the apples:
The standard deviation of the normal distribution is also given as 10 grams.
Standard Deviation = 𝜎 = 10 grams
So, the standard deviation of the weights of the apples in this population is 10 grams.
Tutorial Problems:
1) The test scores of a group of students follow a normal distribution with a mean of 80
and a standard deviation of 10.

a) Find the probability that a randomly selected student from this group has a score
between 70 and 90.
b) Calculate the mean score of the students in this group.
c) Determine the standard deviation of the scores of the students in this group.
2) The heights of a certain population of adults follow a normal distribution with a mean of
170 cm and a standard deviation of 5 cm.
 Tutorial Hours

a) Find the probability that a randomly selected adult from this population has a height
between 165 cm and 175 cm.
b) Calculate the mean height of the adults in this population.
c) Determine the standard deviation of the heights of the adults in this population.

Problems on Exponential Distributions

Main Problem
Problem:
1) The time it takes for a customer to complete a transaction at a certain bank follows an
exponential distribution with a mean time of 5 minutes.
a) Find the probability that a randomly selected customer will complete the transaction in less
than 3 minutes. b) Calculate the mean time for the transaction completion. c) Determine the
standard deviation of the time for the transaction completion.
Solution:
a) Probability of completion in less than 3 minutes:
The probability of an event in an exponential distribution can be calculated using the
cumulative distribution function (CDF):

𝐶𝐷𝐹(𝑥) = 1 − 𝑒 −𝜆𝑥
where x is the value at which we want to calculate the probability, and λ (lambda) is the rate
parameter (equal to 1/mean in the exponential distribution).
Given the mean time (μ) is 5 minutes, 𝜆 = 1/𝜇 = 1/5.
1
For x = 3 minutes: 𝐶𝐷𝐹 (3) = 1 – 𝑒 −5∗ 3
3
𝐶𝐷𝐹(3) = 1 − 𝑒 −5
𝐶𝐷𝐹(3) ≈ 0.1813
So, the probability that a randomly selected customer will complete the transaction in less
than 3 minutes is approximately 0.1813 or 18.13%.
b) Mean time for transaction completion:
The mean (expected value) of the exponential distribution is equal to the reciprocal of the rate
parameter (1/λ).
Given λ = 1/5, the mean time is:
Mean time (μ) = 1 / λ = 1 / (1/5) = 5 minutes
So, the mean time for transaction completion is 5 minutes.
 Tutorial Hours

c) Standard deviation of time for transaction completion:

The standard deviation of the exponential distribution is equal to the reciprocal of the
rate parameter (1/λ).
Given λ = 1/5, the standard deviation is:
Standard deviation = 1 / λ = 1 / (1/5) = 5 minutes
So, the standard deviation of the time for transaction completion is 5 minutes.
Tutorial Problems:
1) Suppose that a study of a certain computer system reveals that the response time, in
seconds, has an exponential distribution with a mean of 3 seconds.
a) What is the probability that response time exceeds 5 seconds?
b) What is the probability that response time is less than 10 seconds?
c) What are the mean and variance of response time?

2) The life of a certain type of device has an advertised failures rate of 0.01 per hour.
The failure rate is constant and the exponential distribution applies.
a) What is the mean time to failure?
b) What is the probability that 200 hours will pass before a failure is observed?

3) The amount of time that a surveillance camera will run without having to be reset is a
random variable having the exponential distribution with mean 50 days. Find the
probabilities that such a camera will
a) have to be reset in less than 20 days;
b) not have to be reset in at least 60 days.
Problems on Rayleigh Distribution:
Main Problem:
The wind speeds at a particular location follow a Rayleigh distribution with a scale parameter
of 10 m/s.
a) Find the probability that the wind speed will be less than 5 m/s. b) Calculate the mean
wind speed at this location. c) Determine the standard deviation of the wind speeds at this
location.
Solution:
The Rayleigh distribution is commonly used to model the magnitude of a two-dimensional
vector with normally distributed components. In this problem, we are given that the wind
speeds follow a Rayleigh distribution with a scale parameter of 10 m/s.
a) Probability of wind speed less than 5 m/s:
The cumulative distribution function (CDF) for the Rayleigh distribution is given by:
−𝑥 2
𝐶𝐷𝐹(𝑥) = 1 − 𝑒 ∗ 𝜎2 )
(2
 Tutorial Hours

where x is the value at which we want to calculate the probability, and σ is the scale
parameter.
Given 𝜎 = 10 𝑚/𝑠, we can find the probability for x = 5 m/s:
−(52 )
𝐶𝐷𝐹 (5) = 1 − 𝑒 (2 ∗ 102 )
−25
𝐶𝐷𝐹 (5) = 1 − 𝑒 200
𝐶𝐷𝐹 (5) = 1 − 𝑒 −0.125
𝐶𝐷𝐹(5) ≈ 0.1161
So, the probability that the wind speed will be less than 5 m/s is approximately 0.1161 or
11.61%.
b) Mean wind speed at this location:
The mean (expected value) of the Rayleigh distribution is given by:

Mean = 𝜎 ∗ √(𝜋/2)
Given 𝜎 = 10 𝑚/𝑠, we can calculate the mean wind speed:

Mean = 10 ∗ √(𝜋/2) ≈ 10 ∗ 1.2533 ≈ 12.533 𝑚/𝑠

So, the mean wind speed at this location is approximately 12.533 m/s.
c) Standard deviation of the wind speeds at this location:
The standard deviation of the Rayleigh distribution is given by:

Standard Deviation = 𝜎 ∗ √((4 − 𝜋) / 2)

Given σ = 10 m/s, we can calculate the standard deviation:

Standard Deviation = 10 ∗ √((4 − 𝜋) / 2) ≈ 10 ∗ √(0.43) ≈ 6.560 𝑚/𝑠

So, the standard deviation of the wind speeds at this location is approximately 6.560 m/s.
Tutorial Problems:

1) The lifetimes of light bulbs produced by a certain manufacturer follow a Rayleigh

distribution with a scale parameter of 500 hours.
a) Find the probability that a randomly chosen light bulb will last less than 400 hours. b)
Calculate the mean lifetime of the light bulbs. c) Determine the standard deviation of the
lifetimes of the light bulbs.
Solutions:
a) Probability of lifetime less than 400 hours:
The cumulative distribution function (CDF) for the Rayleigh distribution is given by:
𝐶𝐷𝐹(𝑥) = 1 − 𝑒^(−𝑥^2 / (2 ∗ 𝜎^2))
 Tutorial Hours

where x is the value at which we want to calculate the probability, and σ is the scale
parameter.
Given 𝜎 = 500 hours, we can find the probability for 𝑥 = 400 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠:
(4002 )
−
𝐶𝐷𝐹 (400) = 1 − 𝑒 (2 ∗ 5002 )
−160000
𝐶𝐷𝐹 (400) = 1 − 𝑒 500000

𝐶𝐷𝐹 (400) = 1 − 𝑒 −0.32

𝐶𝐷𝐹(400) ≈ 0.2625
So, the probability that a randomly chosen light bulb will last less than 400 hours is
approximately 0.2625 or 26.25%.
b) Mean lifetime of the light bulbs:
The mean (expected value) of the Rayleigh distribution is given by:

𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 = 𝜎 ∗ √(𝜋/2)
Given 𝜎 = 500 hours, we can calculate the mean lifetime:

Mean = 500 ∗ √(𝜋/2) ≈ 500 ∗ 1.2533 ≈ 626.65 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠

So, the mean lifetime of the light bulbs is approximately 626.65 hours.
c) Standard deviation of the lifetimes of the light bulbs:
The standard deviation of the Rayleigh distribution is given by:

𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 𝜎 ∗ √((4 − 𝜋) / 2)

Given σ = 500 hours, we can calculate the standard deviation:

𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 500 ∗ √((4 − 𝜋) / 2) ≈ 500 ∗ √(0.43) ≈ 335.86 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠

So, the standard deviation of the lifetimes of the light bulbs is approximately 335.86 hours.
Tutorial Problems:
1) The time it takes for a computer program to execute on a certain system follows a
Rayleigh distribution with a scale parameter of 6 seconds.
a) Find the probability that a randomly chosen program will execute in less than 4 seconds. b)
Calculate the mean execution time of the programs. c) Determine the standard deviation of
the execution times of the programs.
2) The arrival times of customers at a supermarket follow a Rayleigh distribution with a scale
parameter of 12 minutes.
a) Find the probability that a randomly chosen customer will arrive within the first 10
minutes.
b) Calculate the mean arrival time of the customers.
 Tutorial Hours

c) Determine the standard deviation of the arrival times of the customers.

Problems on conditional distribution and conditional density

Main Problem:
A company conducted a survey to determine the relationship between the number of hours
studied per week (X) and the final exam score (Y) of its students. The joint probability
density function of X and Y is given by:
f(x, y) = { (2/15) * (x + y), 0 ≤ x ≤ 5 and 0 ≤ y ≤ 5
{ 0, otherwise

a) Find the conditional distribution of Y given X = 3.

b) Calculate the conditional density of X given Y = 4.
c) Determine the probability that a student who studied for 4 hours will score more than 3 on
the final exam.
Solution:
a) Conditional distribution of Y given X = 3:

The conditional distribution of Y given X = 3 is given by:

f(y | x=3) = f(x=3, y) / f(x=3)

To find 𝑓(𝑥 = 3), we need to integrate the joint density function over the range of y from 0 to
5:

𝑓(𝑥 = 3) = ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 5) (2/15) ∗ (3 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦

𝑓(𝑥 = 3) = (2/15) ∗ ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 5) (3 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦
𝑓(𝑥 = 3) = (2/15) ∗ [3𝑦 + (𝑦^2)/2] 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 0 𝑡𝑜 5
𝑓(𝑥 = 3) = (2/15) ∗ [3(5) + (5^2)/2 − (0) − (0)]
𝑓(𝑥 = 3) = (2/15) ∗ (15 + 12.5)
𝑓(𝑥 = 3) = (2/15) ∗ 27.5
𝑓(𝑥 = 3) ≈ 0.3667

Now, to find 𝑓(𝑦 | 𝑥 = 3), we use the joint density function for x=3:
 Tutorial Hours

𝑓(𝑦 | 𝑥 = 3) = 𝑓(𝑥 = 3, 𝑦) / 𝑓(𝑥 = 3)

𝑓(𝑦 | 𝑥 = 3) = [(2/15) ∗ (3 + 𝑦)] / 0.3667 𝑓𝑜𝑟 0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 5
𝑓(𝑦 | 𝑥 = 3) ≈ (0.3667 ∗ (3 + 𝑦)) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 5
b) Conditional density of X given Y = 4:

The conditional density of X given Y = 4 is given by:

𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑦 = 4) = 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦 = 4) / 𝑓(𝑦 = 4)

To find 𝑓(𝑦 = 4), we need to integrate the joint density function over the range of
𝑥 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 0 𝑡𝑜 5:

𝑓(𝑦 = 4) = ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 5) (2/15) ∗ (𝑥 + 4) 𝑑𝑥

𝑓(𝑦 = 4) = (2/15) ∗ ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 5) (𝑥 + 4) 𝑑𝑥
𝑓(𝑦 = 4) = (2/15) ∗ [(𝑥^2)/2 + 4𝑥] 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 0 𝑡𝑜 5
𝑓(𝑦 = 4) = (2/15) ∗ [(5^2)/2 + 4(5) − (0) − (0)]
𝑓(𝑦 = 4) = (2/15) ∗ [12.5 + 20]
𝑓(𝑦 = 4) = (2/15) ∗ 32.5
𝑓(𝑦 = 4) ≈ 0.4333
Now, to find 𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑦 = 4), we use the joint density function for y=4:
𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑦 = 4) = 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦 = 4) / 𝑓(𝑦 = 4)
𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑦 = 4) = [(2/15) ∗ (𝑥 + 4)] / 0.4333 𝑓𝑜𝑟 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 5
𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑦 = 4) ≈ (0.4333 ∗ (𝑥 + 4)) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 5

c) Probability that a student who studied for 4 hours will score more than 3 on the final exam:

We need to find 𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3), which is the probability that a student who studied for 4
hours will score more than 3 on the final exam.

𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) = ∫ (3 𝑡𝑜 5) (2/15) ∗ (4 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦

𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) = (2/15) ∗ ∫ (3 𝑡𝑜 5) (4 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦

𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) = (2/15) ∗ [4𝑦 + (𝑦^2)/2] 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 3 𝑡𝑜 5
𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) = (2/15) ∗ [(4(5) + (5^2)/2) − (4(3) + (3^2)/2)]
𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) = (2/15) ∗ [(20 + 12.5) − (12 + 4.5)]
 Tutorial Hours

𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) = (2/15) ∗ [32.5 − 16.5]

𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) = (2/15) ∗ 16
𝑓(𝑥 = 4, 𝑦 > 3) ≈ 0.4267

So, the probability that a student who studied for 4 hours will score more than 3 on the final
exam is approximately 0.4267 or 42.67%.

2) The waiting time (in minutes) for a bus to arrive at a bus stop follows an exponential
distribution with a rate parameter of λ = 0.2.
a) Find the conditional distribution of waiting time given that the waiting time is at most 10
minutes. b) Calculate the conditional density of waiting time given that the waiting time is
greater than 5 minutes. c) Determine the probability that a person will wait for more than 15
minutes given that they have already waited for 10 minutes.
Answers:
a) Conditional distribution of waiting time given at most 10 minutes:
To find the conditional distribution, we need to find the conditional probability density
function (PDF) of waiting time given that the waiting time is at most 10 minutes.
The exponential distribution PDF is given by:
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝜆 ∗ 𝑒^(−𝜆𝑥)
Given 𝜆 = 0.2, the waiting time X is exponential with rate parameter 0.2.
Now, we need to calculate the conditional probability density function (𝑃𝐷𝐹) 𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑋 ≤ 10)
for 𝑋 ≤ 10:
𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑋 ≤ 10) = 𝑓(𝑥) / 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 10)
To find P(X ≤ 10), we calculate the cumulative distribution function (CDF) at x = 10:

𝐶𝐷𝐹 (10) = 1 − 𝑒 −𝜆𝑥

𝐶𝐷𝐹 (10) = 1 − 𝑒 −0.2 ∗ 10
𝐶𝐷𝐹 (10) = 1 − 𝑒 −2
𝐶𝐷𝐹(10) ≈ 0.8647
Now, we can find the conditional PDF:
𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑋 ≤ 10) = (0.2 ∗ 𝑒^(−0.2𝑥)) / 0.8647 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 ≥ 0
b) Conditional density of waiting time given greater than 5 minutes:
 Tutorial Hours

To find the conditional density, we need to find the conditional probability density function
(PDF) of waiting time given that the waiting time is greater than 5 minutes.
Now, we need to calculate the conditional probability density function (PDF) 𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑋 > 5)
for 𝑋 > 5:
𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑋 > 5) = 𝑓(𝑥) / 𝑃(𝑋 > 5)
To find P(X > 5), we calculate the complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF)
𝑎𝑡 𝑥 = 5:

𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐹(5) = 1 − 𝐶𝐷𝐹 (5) = 1 − (1 − 𝑒 −𝜆𝑥 )

𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐹 (5) = 𝑒 −0.2 ∗ 5

𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐹 (5) = 𝑒 −1
𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐹(5) ≈ 0.3679
Now, we can find the conditional PDF:
𝑓(𝑥 | 𝑋 > 5) = (0.2 ∗ 𝑒^(−0.2𝑥)) / 0.3679 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 > 5
c) Probability of waiting for more than 15 minutes given that they have already waited for 10
minutes:
To find the conditional probability, we need to find 𝑃(𝑋 > 15 | 𝑋 = 10), which is the
probability of waiting for more than 15 minutes given that they have already waited for 10
minutes.
We can use the property of memory lessness of the exponential distribution:
𝑃(𝑋 > 15 | 𝑋 = 10) = 𝑃(𝑋 > 5)
Using the CCDF at 𝑥 = 5:
𝑃(𝑋 > 15 | 𝑋 = 10) ≈ 0.3679
So, the probability of waiting for more than 15 minutes given that they have already waited
for 10 minutes is approximately 0.3679 or 36.79%.
Problems on Vector random variables, joint distributions, marginal disttributions
Main Problems
1) Suppose X and Y are two random variables representing the number of hours two
friends spend on their smartphones each day. The joint probability mass function
(PMF) of X and Y is given by:
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑖, 𝑌 = 𝑗) = { 0.05, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 1, 𝑗 = 2
{ 0.10, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 1, 𝑗 = 1
{ 0.15, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 2, 𝑗 = 1
{ 0.20, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 2, 𝑗 = 2
 Tutorial Hours

{ 0, 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒
a) Find the marginal probability mass functions of X and Y.
Solution:

a) Marginal probability mass functions of X and Y:

To find the marginal probability mass functions, we need to sum the joint PMF over
the possible values of the other variable.

For X:

𝑃(𝑋 = 1) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 1, 𝑌 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 1, 𝑌 = 2) = 0.10 + 0.05 = 0.15

𝑃(𝑋 = 2) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 2, 𝑌 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2, 𝑌 = 2) = 0.15 + 0.20 = 0.35

For Y:

𝑃(𝑌 = 1) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 1, 𝑌 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2, 𝑌 = 1) = 0.10 + 0.15 = 0.25

𝑃(𝑌 = 2) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 1, 𝑌 = 2) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2, 𝑌 = 2) = 0.05 + 0.20 = 0.25.

2) Suppose X and Y are two-dimensional vector random variables representing the

height (in meters) and weight (in kilograms) of individuals in a population. The joint
probability density function (PDF) of X and Y is given by:

𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) = { 𝑘 ∗ (𝑥 + 𝑦), 0 < 𝑥 < 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 0 < 𝑦 < 1

{ 0, 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒

a) Find the value of k that makes 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) a valid joint probability density function.
b) Calculate the marginal probability density functions of X and Y.
Solution:
a) To find the value of k, we need to ensure that the joint PDF integrates to 1 over the
entire range of X and Y:
∬ (0 𝑡𝑜 1, 0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (𝑥 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑦 = 1
𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑥 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡:
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (𝑥 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑘 ∗ [(𝑥^2)/2 + 𝑥𝑦] 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 0 𝑡𝑜 1
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (𝑥 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑘 ∗ [(1^2)/2 + 1𝑦] − 𝑘 ∗ [(0^2)/2 + 0𝑦]
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (𝑥 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑘 ∗ (1/2 + 𝑦) − 𝑘 ∗ (0)
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (𝑥 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑘 ∗ (1/2 + 𝑦)
𝑁𝑜𝑤, 𝑤𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑦:
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (1/2 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑘 ∗ [(𝑦/2) + (𝑦^2)/2] 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 0 𝑡𝑜 1
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (1/2 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦
= 𝑘 ∗ [(1/2) + (1^2)/2] − 𝑘 ∗ [(0/2) + (0^2)/2]
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (1/2 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑘 ∗ (1/2 + 1/2) − 𝑘 ∗ (0)
∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑘 ∗ (1/2 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑘
 Tutorial Hours

Setting the integral equal to 1:

k=1
So, the value of k that makes 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) a valid joint probability density function is 1.
b) Marginal probability density functions of X and Y:
To find the marginal probability density functions, we need to integrate the joint PDF
over the entire range of the other variable.
For X:
𝑓_𝑋(𝑥) = ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦
𝑓_𝑋(𝑥) = ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) (𝑥 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑦
𝑓_𝑋(𝑥) = [𝑥𝑦 + (𝑦^2)/2] 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 0 𝑡𝑜 1
𝑓_𝑋(𝑥) = 𝑥 ∗ 1 + (1^2)/2 − (𝑥 ∗ 0 + (0^2)/2)
𝑓_𝑋(𝑥) = 𝑥 + 1/2
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑌:
𝑓_𝑌(𝑦) = ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑑𝑥
𝑓_𝑌(𝑦) = ∫ (0 𝑡𝑜 1) (𝑥 + 𝑦) 𝑑𝑥
𝑓_𝑌(𝑦) = [(𝑥^2)/2 + 𝑥𝑦] 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 0 𝑡𝑜 1
𝑓_𝑌(𝑦) = (1^2)/2 + 1𝑦 − ((0^2)/2 + 0𝑦)
𝑓_𝑌(𝑦) = 1/2 + 𝑦
Tutorial Hours
Tutorial Hours
Tutorial Hours
Tutorial Hours
Tutorial Hours
Tutorial Hours
Tutorial Hours
Tutorial Hours
 Tutorial Hours

Tutorial Problems

3. Define the marginal probability distributions of 𝑋 and 𝑌, when (𝑋, 𝑌) is discreate

random variable.
4. Define the marginal probability distributions of 𝑋 and 𝑌, when (𝑋, 𝑌) is continuous
random variable.

10. Let X and Y be two random variables representing the number of hours two friends
spend on their smartphones each day. The joint probability mass function (PMF) of X
and Y is given by:
 Tutorial Hours

𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑖, 𝑌 = 𝑗) = { 0.10, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 1, 𝑗 = 2

{ 0.20, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 1, 𝑗 = 1
{ 0.15, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 2, 𝑗 = 1
{ 0.05, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖 = 2, 𝑗 = 2
{ 0, 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒
a) Find the marginal probability mass functions of X and Y.
11) Suppose X and Y are two random variables representing the scores of two students in
two different exams. The joint probability density function (PDF) of X and Y is given
by:
𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) = { 2𝑥𝑦, 0 < 𝑥 < 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 0 < 𝑦 < 1
{ 0, 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒
a) Find the marginal probability density functions of X and Y.
Problems on Sum of random variables:
Main Problem
Let X and Y be two independent random variables representing the number of hours two
friends spend on their smartphones each day. X follows a Poisson distribution with a mean of
3 hours, and Y follows a Poisson distribution with a mean of 5 hours.
a) Find the probability mass function (PMF) of the sum Z = X + Y.
b) Calculate the mean and variance of Z.
Solution:
a) Probability mass function (PMF) of the sum Z = X + Y:
Since X and Y are independent, the sum Z = X + Y follows the convolution of their
individual PMFs.
The PMF of X is given by:
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑘) = (𝑒^(−𝜆_𝑋) ∗ 𝜆_𝑋^𝑘) / 𝑘!
where 𝜆𝑋 = 3 (𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑋)
The PMF of Y is given by:

𝑃(𝑌 = 𝑘) = (𝑒 −𝜆𝑌 ∗ 𝜆𝑘𝑌 ) / 𝑘!

where 𝜆𝑌 = 5 (𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑌)
Now, to find the PMF of Z = X + Y, we perform the convolution:
𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑧) = 𝛴[ 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑘) ∗ 𝑃(𝑌 = 𝑧 − 𝑘) ]

𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑧) = 𝛴[ (𝑒 −𝜆𝑋 ∗ 𝜆𝑘𝑋 ) / 𝑘! ∗ (𝑒 −𝜆𝑌 ∗ 𝜆𝑧𝑌 − 𝑘 ) / (𝑧 − 𝑘)! ]

𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑧) = (𝑒 −𝜆𝑋 ∗ 𝑒 −𝜆𝑌 ) / 𝑧! ∗ 𝛴[ 𝜆𝑘𝑋 ∗ 𝜆𝑧𝑌 − 𝑘 / (𝑘! ∗ (𝑧 − 𝑘)!) ]

 Tutorial Hours

𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑧) = (𝑒 −𝜆𝑋 − 𝜆𝑌 ) / 𝑧! ∗ 𝛴[ 𝜆𝑘𝑋 ∗ 𝜆𝑧𝑌 − 𝑘 / (𝑘! ∗ (𝑧 − 𝑘)!) ]

The sum 𝛴[ 𝜆𝑘𝑋 ∗ 𝜆𝑧𝑌 − 𝑘 / (𝑘! ∗ (𝑧 − 𝑘)!) ] represents the binomial expansion of
(𝜆𝑋 + 𝜆𝑌 )𝑧 .
Therefore, the PMF of 𝑍 = 𝑋 + 𝑌 is:

𝑃(𝑍 = 𝑧) = (𝑒 −𝜆𝑋 − 𝜆𝑌 ∗ (𝜆𝑋 + 𝜆𝑌 )𝑧 ) / 𝑧!

b) Mean and variance of Z:
The mean of Z is given by:
𝐸[𝑍] = 𝐸[𝑋 + 𝑌] = 𝐸[𝑋] + 𝐸[𝑌]
Since X and Y are both Poisson random variables, their means are equal to their respective λ
values.
𝐸[𝑍] = 3 + 5 = 8
The variance of Z is given by:
𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑍) = 𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑋 + 𝑌) = 𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑋) + 𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑌)
Since X and Y are independent Poisson random variables, their variances are equal to their
respective λ values.
𝑉𝑎𝑟(𝑍) = 3 + 5 = 8
Therefore, the mean of Z is 8 hours, and the variance of Z is 8.
Tutorial Problems
1) Let X and Y be two independent random variables representing the number of defective
items in two different manufacturing processes. X follows a Poisson distribution with a mean
of 2 defective items, and Y follows a Poisson distribution with a mean of 3 defective items.
a) Find the probability mass function (PMF) of the sum Z = X + Y. b) Calculate the mean and
variance of Z.
2) Let X and Y be two independent random variables representing the number of hours two
friends spend on their smartphones each day. X follows an exponential distribution with a
rate parameter of 0.5 (λ = 0.5), and Y follows an exponential distribution with a rate
parameter of 0.3 (λ = 0.3).
a) Find the probability density function (PDF) of the sum Z = X + Y.
b) Calculate the mean and variance of Z.
3) Suppose X and Y are two independent random variables representing the scores of two
students in two different exams. X follows a normal distribution with a mean of 80 and a
standard deviation of 10, while Y follows a normal distribution with a mean of 75 and a
standard deviation of 8.
a) Find the probability density function (PDF) of the difference Z = X - Y. b) Calculate the
mean and variance of Z.
 Tutorial Hours

Problems on Central Limit Theorems:

Main Problem
1) Suppose the heights of adult males in a certain population follow a normal
distribution with a mean of 175 cm and a standard deviation of 7 cm. If a random
sample of 50 adult males is taken from this population, find the probability that the
average height of the sample is between 173 cm and 177 cm.
Solution:
The central limit theorem states that for a sufficiently large sample size, the distribution of the
sample mean (X̄) will be approximately normal with a mean equal to the population mean (μ)
and a standard deviation equal to the population standard deviation (σ) divided by the square
root of the sample size (n).
Given: 𝜇 = 175 𝑐𝑚, 𝜎 = 7 𝑐𝑚, 𝑛 = 50
Step 1: Calculate the mean (μ_X̄) and standard deviation (σ_X̄) of the sample mean.
𝜇_𝑋 = 𝜇 = 175 𝑐𝑚

𝜎_𝑋 = 𝜎 / √𝑛 = 7 𝑐𝑚 / √50 ≈ 0.9899 𝑐𝑚

Step 2: Convert the interval [173 cm, 177 cm] to z-scores using the formula:
𝑧 = (𝑋 − 𝜇_𝑋) / 𝜎_𝑋
𝐹𝑜𝑟 173 𝑐𝑚: 𝑧1 = (173 − 175) / 0.9899 ≈ −2.0202
𝐹𝑜𝑟 177 𝑐𝑚: 𝑧2 = (177 − 175) / 0.9899 ≈ 2.0202
Step 3: Find the probability that the sample mean falls between these z-scores using the
standard normal distribution table or a calculator.
𝑃(−2.0202 < 𝑍 < 2.0202) ≈ 0.9545
Therefore, the probability that the average height of the sample is between 173 cm and 177
cm is approximately 0.9545 or 95.45%.
2) Suppose the weights of apples in a large shipment follow a normal distribution with a
mean of 150 grams and a standard deviation of 20 grams. If a random sample of 100
apples is taken from this shipment, find the probability that the total weight of the
sample is greater than 15,000 grams.

Solution:

The central limit theorem states that for a sufficiently large sample size, the
distribution of the sample sum (ΣX) will be approximately normal with a mean equal
to the population mean (μ) multiplied by the sample size (n) and a standard deviation
equal to the population standard deviation (σ) multiplied by the square root of the
sample size (n).
 Tutorial Hours

Given: μ = 150 grams, σ = 20 grams, n = 100

Step 1: Calculate the mean (𝜇_𝛴𝑋) and standard deviation (𝜎_𝛴𝑋) of the sample sum.

𝜇_𝛴𝑋 = 𝜇 ∗ 𝑛 = 150 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠 ∗ 100 = 15000 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠

𝜎_𝛴𝑋 = 𝜎 ∗ √𝑛 = 20 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠 ∗ √100 = 20 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠 ∗ 10 = 200 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠

Step 2: Convert the total weight of the sample (15,000 grams) to a z-score using the
formula:

𝑧 = (𝑋 − 𝜇_𝛴𝑋) / 𝜎_𝛴𝑋

𝑧 = (15,000 − 15000) / 200 = 0

Step 3: Find the probability that the sample sum is greater than 15,000 grams using
the standard normal distribution table or a calculator.

𝑃(𝑍 > 0) = 0.5

Therefore, the probability that the total weight of the sample is greater than 15,000
grams is 0.5 or 50%.

Tutorial Problems
1) A factory produces light bulbs, and the weight of each light bulb follows a normal
distribution with a mean of 60 grams and a standard deviation of 3 grams. A random sample
of 25 light bulbs is taken from the production line.
a) Find the probability that the average weight of the sample is less than 58 grams. b)
Calculate the probability that the average weight of the sample is between 59 grams and 61
grams.
2) A manufacturer produces smartphones, and the battery life of each smartphone follows
a normal distribution with a mean of 24 hours and a standard deviation of 2 hours. A random
sample of 36 smartphones is selected from the production line.
a) Find the probability that the average battery life of the sample is more than 25 hours. b)
Calculate the probability that the average battery life of the sample is between 23 hours and
25 hours.
Tutorial Hours