CONTINUOUS PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS

TRUE/FALSE

1. Since there is an infinite number of values a continuous random variable can assume, the probability of
each individual value is virtually 0.
ANS: T

2. A continuous probability distribution represents a random variable having an infinite number of

outcomes which may assume any number of values within an interval.
ANS: T

3. Continuous probability distributions describe probabilities associated with random variables that are
able to assume any finite number of values along an interval.
ANS: F

4. A continuous random variable X has a uniform distribution between 10 and 20 (inclusive), then the
probability that X falls between 12 and 15 is 0.30.
ANS: T

5. A continuous random variable is one that can assume an uncountable number of values.
ANS: T

6. A continuous random variable X has a uniform distribution between 5 and 15 (inclusive), then the
probability that X falls between 10 and 20 is 1.0.
ANS: F

7. A continuous random variable X has a uniform distribution between 5 and 25 (inclusive), then P(X =
15) = 0.05.
ANS: F

8. We distinguish between discrete and continuous random variables by noting whether the number of
possible values is countable or uncountable.
ANS: T

9. In practice, we frequently use a continuous distribution to approximate a discrete one when the number
of values the variable can assume is countable but very large.
ANS: T

10. Let X represent weekly income expressed in dollars. Since there is no set upper limit, we cannot
identify (and thus cannot count) all the possible values. Consequently, weekly income is regarded as a
continuous random variable.
ANS: T

11. To be a legitimate probability density function, all possible values of f(x) must be non-negative.
ANS: T

12. To be a legitimate probability density function, all possible values of f(x) must lie between 0 and 1
(inclusive).
ANS: F

13. The sum of all values of f(x) over the range of [a, b] must equal one.
ANS: F
 14. A probability density function shows the probability for each value of X.
ANS: F

15. If X is a continuous random variable on the interval [0, 10], then P(X > 5) = P(X ≥ 5).
ANS: T

16. If X is a continuous random variable on the interval [0, 10], then P(X = 5) = f(5) = 1/10.
ANS: F

17. If a point y lies outside the range of the possible values of a random variable X, then f(y) must equal
zero.
ANS: T

MULTIPLE CHOICE

18. Which of the following is always true for all probability density functions of continuous random
variables?
a. The probability at any single point is zero.
b. They contain an uncountable number of possible values.
c. The total area under the density function f(x) equals 1.
d. All of these choices are true.
ANS: D

19. The probability density function, f(x), for any continuous random variable X, represents:
a. all possible values that X will assume within some interval a ≤ x ≤ b.
b. the probability that X takes on a specific value x.
c. the height of the density function at x.
d. None of these choices.
ANS: C

20. Which of the following represents a difference between continuous and discrete random variables?
a. Continuous random variables assume an uncountable number of values, and discrete
random variables do not.
b. The probability for any individual value of a continuous random variable is zero, but for
discrete random variables it is not.
c. Probability for continuous random variables means finding the area under a curve, while
for discrete random variables it means summing individual probabilities.
d. All of these choices are true.
ANS: D

21. Suppose f(x) = 0.25. What range of possible values can X take on and still have the density function be
legitimate?
a. [0, 4]
b. [4, 8]
c. [−2, +2]
d. All of these choices are true.
ANS: D

22. What is the shape of the probability density function for a uniform random variable on the interval
[a, b]?
 a. A rectangle whose X values go from a to b.
b. A straight line whose height is 1/(b − a) over the range [a, b].
c. A continuous probability density function with the same value of f(x) from a to b.
d. All of these choices are true.
ANS: D

23. Which of the following is true about f(x) when X has a uniform distribution over the interval [a, b]?
a. The values of f(x) are different for various values of the random variable X.
b. f(x) equals one for each possible value of X.
c. f(x) equals one divided by the length of the interval from a to b.
d. None of these choices.
ANS: C

24. Suppose f(x) = 1/4 over the range a ≤ x ≤ b, and suppose P(X > 4) = 1/2. What are the values for a and
b?
a. 0 and 4
b. 2 and 6
c. Can be any range of x values whose length (b − a) equals 4.
d. Cannot answer with the information given.
ANS: B

25. The probability density function f(x) for a uniform random variable X defined over the interval [2, 10]
is
a. 0.20
b. 8
c. 4
d. None of these choices.
ANS: A

26. If the random variable X has a uniform distribution between 40 and 50, then P(35 ≤ X ≤ 45) is:
a. 1.0
b. 0.5
c. 0.1
d. undefined.
ANS: B

27. The probability density function f(x) of a random variable X that has a uniform distribution between a
and b is
a. (b + a)/2
b. 1/b − 1/a
c. (a − b)/2
d. None of these choices.
ANS: D

28. Which of the following does not represent a continuous uniform random variable?
a. f(x) = 1/2 for x between −1 and 1, inclusive.
b. f(x) = 10 for x between 0 and 1/10, inclusive.
c. f(x) = 1/3 for x = 4, 5, 6.
d. None of these choices represents a continuous uniform random variable.
 ANS: C

COMPLETION

29. A(n) ____________________ random variable is one that assumes an uncountable number of possible
values.
ANS: continuous

30. For a continuous random variable, the probability for each individual value of X is
____________________.
ANS: zero

31. Probability for continuous random variables is found by finding the ____________________ under a
curve.
ANS: area

32. A(n) ____________________ random variable has a density function that looks like a rectangle and
you can use areas of a rectangle to find probabilities for it.
ANS: uniform

33. Suppose X is a continuous random variable for X between a and b. Then its probability
____________________ function must non-negative for all values of X between a and b.
ANS: density

34. The total area under f(x) for a continuous random variable must equal ____________________.
ANS: one

35. The probability density function of a uniform random variable on the interval [0, 5] must be
____________________ for 0 ≤ x ≤ 5.
ANS: 1/5

36. To find the probability for a uniform random variable you take the ____________________ times the
____________________ of its corresponding rectangle.
ANS: base; height

37. You can use a continuous random variable to ____________________ a discrete random variable that
takes on a countable, but very large, number of possible values.
ANS: approximate

SHORT ANSWER

38. A continuous random variable X has the following probability density function:
f(x) = 1/4, 0 ≤ x ≤ 4
Find the following probabilities:

a. P(X ≤ 1)
b. P(X ≥ 2)
c. P(1 ≤ X ≤ 2)
d. P(X = 3)
 ANS:
a. 0.25
b. 0.50
c. 0.25
d. 0

Waiting Time

The length of time patients must wait to see a doctor at an emergency room in a large hospital has a
uniform distribution between 40 minutes and 3 hours.

39. {Waiting Time Narrative} What is the probability density function for this uniform distribution?
ANS: f(x) = 1/140, 40 ≤ x ≤ 180 (minutes)

40. {Waiting Time Narrative} What is the probability that a patient would have to wait between one and
two hours?
ANS: 0.43

41. {Waiting Time Narrative} What is the probability that a patient would have to wait exactly one hour?
ANS: 0

42. {Waiting Time Narrative} What is the probability that a patient would have to wait no more than one
hour?
ANS: 0.143

43. The time required to complete a particular assembly operation has a uniform distribution between 25
and 50 minutes.
a. What is the probability density function for this uniform distribution?
b. What is the probability that the assembly operation will require more than 40 minutes to
complete?
c. Suppose more time was allowed to complete the operation, and the values of X were
extended to the range from 25 to 60 minutes. What would f(x) be in this case?

ANS:
a. f(x) = 1/25, 25 ≤ x ≤ 50
b. 0.40
c. f(x) = 1/35, 25 ≤ x ≤ 60

44. Suppose f(x) equals 1/50 on the interval [0, 50].

a. What is the distribution of X?
b. What does the graph of f(x) look like?
c. Find P(X ≤ 25)
d. Find P(X ≥ 25)
e. Find P(X = 25)
f. Find P(0 < X < 3)
g. Find P(−3 < X < 0)
h. Find P(0 < X < 50)

ANS:
a. X has a uniform distribution on the interval [0, 50].
b. f(x) forms a rectangle of height 1/50 from x = 0 to x = 50.
c. 0.50
d. 0.50
 e. 0
f. 0.06
g. 0.06
h. 1.00

Electronics Test

The time it takes a student to finish a electronics test has a uniform distribution between 50 and 70
minutes.

45. {Electronics Test Narrative} What is the probability density function for this uniform distribution?
ANS: f(x) = 1/20, 50 ≤ x ≤ 70

46. {Electronics Test Narrative} Find the probability that a student will take more than 60 minutes to
finish the test.
ANS: 0.50

47. {Electronics Test Narrative} Find the probability that a student will take no less than 55 minutes to
finish the test.
ANS: 0.75

48. {Electronics Test Narrative} Find the probability that a student will take exactly one hour to finish the
test.
ANS: 0

49. {Electronics Test Narrative} What is the median amount of time it takes a student to finish the test?
ANS: 60 minutes

50. {Electronics Test Narrative} What is the mean amount of time it takes a student to finish the test?
ANS: 60 minutes

Subway Waiting Time

At a subway station the waiting time for a subway is found to be uniformly distributed between 1 and
5 minutes.

51. {Subway Waiting Time Narrative} What is the probability density function for this uniform
distribution?
ANS: f(x) = 1/4, 1 ≤ x ≤ 5

52. {Subway Waiting Time Narrative} What is the probability of waiting no more than 3 minutes?
ANS: 0.50

53. {Subway Waiting Time Narrative} What is the probability that the subway arrives in the first minute
and a half?
ANS: 0.125

54. {Subway Waiting Time Narrative} What is the median waiting time for this subway?
ANS: 3 minutes
TRUE/FALSE

55. A national standardized testing company can tell you your relative standing on an exam without
divulging the mean or the standard deviation of the exam scores.
ANS: T

56. If your golf score is 3 standard deviations below the mean, its corresponding value on the Z
distribution is −3.
ANS: T

57. If we standardize the normal curve, we express the original X values in terms of their number of
standard deviations away from the mean.
ANS: T

58. A normal distribution is symmetric; therefore the probability of being below the mean is 0.50 and the
probability of being above the mean is 0.50.
ANS: T

59. A random variable X is standardized by subtracting the mean and dividing by the variance.
ANS: F

60. A random variable X has a normal distribution with mean 132 and variance 36. If x = 120, its
corresponding value of Z is 2.0.
ANS: F

61. A random variable X has a normal distribution with a mean of 250 and a standard deviation of 50.
Given that X = 175, its corresponding value of Z is −1.50.
ANS: T

62. Given that Z is a standard normal random variable, a negative value of Z indicates that the standard
deviation of Z is negative.
ANS: F

63. In the standard normal distribution, z0.05 = 1.645 means that 5% of all values of z are below 1.645 and
95% are above it.
ANS: F

64. The probability that a standard normal random variable Z is less than −3.5 is approximately 0.
ANS: T

65. If the value of Z is z = 99, that means you are at the 99th percentile on the Z distribution.
ANS: F

66. The 10th percentile of a Z distribution has 10% of the Z-values lying above it.
ANS: F

67. The probability that Z is less than −2 is the same as one minus the probability that Z is greater than +2.
ANS: F

68. Suppose X has a normal distribution with mean 70 and standard deviation 5. The 50th percentile of X is
70.
ANS: T
MULTIPLE CHOICES

69. Which of the following is not a characteristic for a normal distribution?

a. It is symmetrical.
b. The mean is always zero.
c. The mean, median, and mode are all equal.
d. It is a bell-shaped distribution.
ANS: B

70. If X has a normal distribution with mean 60 and standard deviation 6, which value of X corresponds
with the value z = 1.96?
a. x = 71.76
b. x = 67.96
c. x = 61.96
d. x = 48.24
ANS: A

71. A standard normal distribution is a normal distribution with:

a. a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one.
b. a mean of one and a standard deviation of zero.
c. a mean always larger than the standard deviation.
d. None of these choices.
ANS: A

72. What proportion of the data from a normal distribution is within two standard deviations from the
mean?
a. 0.3413
b. 0.4772
c. 0.6826
d. 0.9544
ANS: D

73. Given that Z is a standard normal random variable, the area to the left of a value z is expressed as
a. P(Z ≥ z)
b. P(Z ≤ z)
c. P(0 ≤ Z ≤ z)
d. P(Z ≥ −z)
ANS: B

74. Given that Z is a standard normal variable, the variance of Z:

a. is always greater than 2.0.
b. is always greater than 1.0.
c. is always equal to 1.0.
d. cannot assume a specific value.
ANS: C
75. Given that Z is a standard normal random variable, a negative value (z) on its distribution would
indicate:
a. z is to the left of the mean.
b. the standard deviation of this Z distribution is negative.
c. the area between zero and the value z is negative.
d. None of these choices.
ANS: A

76. A larger standard deviation of a normal distribution indicates that the distribution becomes:
a. narrower and more peaked.
b. flatter and wider.
c. more skewed to the right.
d. more skewed to the left.
ANS: B

77. In its standardized form, the normal distribution:

a. has a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.
b. has a mean of 1 and a variance of 0.
c. has an area equal to 0.5.
d. cannot be used to approximate discrete probability distributions.
ANS: A

78. Most values of a standard normal distribution lie between:

a. 0 and 1
b. −3 and 3
c. 0 and 3
d. minus infinity and plus infinity
ANS: B

79. Stacy took a math test whose mean was 70 and standard deviation was 5. The total points possible was
100. Stacey's results were reported to be at the 95th percentile. What was Stacey's actual exam score,
rounded to the nearest whole number?
a. 95
b. 78
c. 75
d. 62
ANS: B

80. Tanner took a statistics test whose mean was 80 and standard deviation was 5. The total points
possible were 100. Tanner's score was 2 standard deviations below the mean. What was Tanner's
score, rounded to the nearest whole number?
a. 78
b. 70
c. 90
d. None of these choices.
ANS: B
 81. Lamont took a psychology exam whose mean was 70 with standard deviation 5. He also took a
calculus exam whose mean was 80 with standard deviation 10. He scored 85 on both exams. On which
exam did he do better compared to the other students who took the exam?
a. He did better on the psychology exam, comparatively speaking.
b. He did better on the calculus exam, comparatively speaking.
c. He did the same on both exams, relatively speaking.
d. Cannot tell without more information.
ANS: A

82. Suppose Lamont's exam score was at the 80th percentile on an exam whose mean was 90. What was
Lamont's exam score?
a. 76.81
b. 72.00
c. 80.00
d. Cannot tell without more information.
ANS: D

COMPLETION

83. Suppose X has a normal distribution with mean 40 and standard deviation 2. Shifting all the X values
to the right 10 units results in a normal distribution with mean ____________________ and standard
deviation ____________________.
ANS: 50; 2 (fifty; two)

84. ____________________ the value of σ in a normal distribution will make it wider.

ANS: Increasing

85. We standardize a random variable by subtracting its ____________________ and dividing by its
____________________.
ANS: mean; standard deviation

86. Suppose X has a normal distribution with mean 10 and standard deviation 2. The probability that X is
less than 8 is equal to the probability that Z is less than ____________________.
ANS: −1

87. P(Z > 1.9) = ____________________ P(Z < 1.9).

ANS: 1 −

88. P(1 < Z < 2) = P(Z < 2) − ____________________.

ANS: P(Z < 1)

89. The mean of the standard normal distribution is ____________________ and the standard deviation is
____________________.
ANS: zero; one

90. P(Z > 3.00) is approximately ____________________.

ANS: zero

91. P(Z < 3.00) is approximately ____________________.

ANS: one
 92. Suppose X is a normal random variable with mean 70 and standard deviation 3. Then P(X = 3) =
____________________.
ANS: zero

93. Z.025 is the value of Z such that the area to the ____________________ of Z is .9750.
ANS: left

SHORT ANSWER

Battery Life

A certain brand of batteries has a lifetime that has a normal distribution with a mean of 3,750 hours
and a standard deviation of 300 hours.

94. {Battery Life Narrative} What proportion of these batteries will last for more than 4,000 hours?
ANS: 0.2033

95. {Battery Life Narrative} What proportion of these batteries will last less than 3,600 hours?
ANS: 0.3085

96. {Battery Life Narrative} What proportion of these batteries will last between 3,800 and 4,100 hours?
ANS: 0.3115

97. {Battery Life Narrative} What lifetime should the manufacturer advertise for these batteries in order
that only 2% of the lamps will wear out before the advertised lifetime?
ANS: 3135

Diet

Researchers studying the effects of a new diet found that the weight loss over a one-month period by
those on the diet was normally distributed with a mean of 10 pounds and a standard deviation of 5
pounds.

98. {Diet Narrative} What proportion of the dieters lost more than 12 pounds?
ANS: 0.3446

99. {Diet Narrative} What proportion of the dieters gained weight?

ANS: 0.0028

100. {Diet Narrative} If a dieter is selected at random, what is the probability that the dieter lost more than
7.5 pounds?
ANS: 0.6915

101. Let X be a normally distributed random variable with a mean of 12 and a standard deviation of 1.5.
What proportions of the values of X are:
a. less than 14
b. more than 8
c. between 10 and 13
ANS:
a. 0.9082
b. 0.9962
c. 0.6568
102. If Z is a standard normal random variable, find the value z for which:

a. the area between 0 and z is 0.3729

b. the area to the right of z is 0.7123
c. the area to the left of z is 0.1736
d. the area between −z and z is 0.6630

ANS:

a. 1.14
b. −.56
c. −.94
d. 0.96

103. If Z is a standard normal random variable, find the following probabilities:

a. P(Z ≤ −1.77)
b. P(Z ≥ −1.96)
c. P(0.35 ≤ Z ≤ 0.85)
d. P(−2.88 ≤ Z ≤ −2.15)
e. P(Z ≤ 1.45)

ANS:

a. 0.0384
b. 0.9750
c. 0.1655
d. 0.0138
e. 0.9265

Calculus Scores

Scores of high school students on a national calculus exam were normally distributed with a mean of
86 and a standard deviation of 4. (Total possible points = 100.)
NARREND

104. {Calculus Scores Narrative} What is the probability that a randomly selected student will have a score
of 80 or higher?
ANS: 0.9332

105. {Calculus Scores Narrative} What is the probability that a randomly selected student will have a score
between 80 and 90?
ANS: 0.7745

106. {Calculus Scores Narrative} What is the probability that a randomly selected student will have a score
of 94 or lower?
ANS: 0.9772

Checking Accounts

A bank has determined that the monthly balances of the checking accounts of its customers are
normally distributed with an average balance of $1,200 and a standard deviation of $250.
107. {Checking Accounts Narrative} What proportion of customers have monthly balances less than
$1,000?
ANS: 0.2119

108. {Checking Accounts Narrative} What proportion of customers have monthly balances more than
$1,125?
ANS: 0.6179

109. {Checking Accounts Narrative} What proportion of customers have monthly balances between $950
and $1,075?
ANS: 0.1498

IT Graduates Salary

The recent average starting salary for new college graduates in IT systems is $47,500. Assume salaries
are normally distributed with a standard deviation of $4,500.

110. {IT Graduates Salary Narrative} What is the probability of a new graduate receiving a salary between
$45,000 and $50,000?
ANS: 0.4246

111. {IT Graduates Salary Narrative} What is the probability of a new graduate getting a starting salary in
excess of $55,000?
ANS: 0.0475

112. {IT Graduates Salary Narrative} What percent of starting salaries are no more than $42,250?
ANS: 12.10%

113. {IT Graduates Salary Narrative} What is the cutoff for the bottom 5% of the salaries?
ANS: $40,097.50

114. {IT Graduates Salary Narrative} What is the cutoff for the top 3% of the salaries?
ANS: $55,960

115. A worker earns $16 per hour at a plant and is told that only 5% of all workers make a higher wage. If
the wage is assumed to be normally distributed and the standard deviation of wage rates is $5 per hour,
find the average wage for the plant workers per hour.
ANS: P(X > 16) = .05 ⇒ (16 − µ) / 5 = 1.645 ⇒ µ = $7.78

TRUE/FALSE

116. The mean and the variance of an exponential distribution are equal to each other.
ANS: F

117. The exponential distribution is suitable to model the length of time that elapses before the first
telephone call is received by a switchboard.
ANS: T

118. The mean and standard deviation of an exponential random variable are equal to each other.
ANS: T

119. In the exponential distribution, X takes on an infinite number of possible values in the given range.
ANS: T
120. If the mean of an exponential distribution is 2, then the value of the parameter λ is 2.0.
ANS: F

121. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed and the parameter of the distribution λ = 4, then
P(X ≤ 1) = 0.25.
ANS: F

122. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 5, then the variance of X, σ2 =
V(X) = 0.04.
ANS: T

123. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 0.05, then the variance of X,
σ2 = V(X) = 20.
ANS: F

124. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 0.05, then the probability P(X
> 20) = 0.3679.
ANS: T

125. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 0.05, then the probability P(X
< 5) = .2865.
ANS: F

126. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 2, then the probability that X
is between 1 and 2 equals the probability that X is between 2 and 3.
ANS: F

MULTIPLE CHOICES

127. Which of the following is not true for an exponential distribution with parameter λ?
a. µ = 1/λ
b. σ = 1/λ
c. The Y-intercept of f(x) is λ.
d. All of these choices are true.
ANS: D

128. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 3, then the probability P(X ≥
2) equals:
a. 0.3333
b. 0.5000
c. 0.6667
d. 0.0025
ANS: D

129. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 1.5, then the probability P(2 ≤
X ≤ 4), up to 4 decimal places, is
a. 0.6667
b. 0.0473
c. 0.5000
d. 0.2500
ANS: B
130. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed with parameter λ = 4, then the probability P(X ≤
0.25), up to 4 decimal places, is
a. 0.6321
b. 0.3679
c. 0.2500
d. None of these choices.
ANS: A

131. Which of the following can have an exponential distribution?

a. Time between phone calls coming in to a technical support desk.
b. Time until the first customer arrives at the bank in the morning.
c. Lifetime of a new battery.
d. All of these choices are true.
ANS: D

132. The exponential density function f(x):

a. is bell-shaped.
b. is symmetrical.
c. approaches infinity as x approaches zero.
d. approaches zero as x approaches infinity.
ANS: D

133. If the random variable X is exponentially distributed, then the mean of X will be:
a. greater than the median.
b. less than the median.
c. equal to the median.
d. Cannot tell; the answer depends on what λ is.
ANS: A

134. If the mean of an exponential distribution is 2, then the value of the parameter λ is
a. 0
b. 2.0
c. 0.5
d. 1.0
ANS: C

135. If the parameter of an exponential distribution is 1, then which of the following is not true?
a. The density function is e−x for x ≥ 0.
b. The mean is equal to 1.
c. The standard deviation and variance are both equal to 1.
d. All of these choices are true.
ANS: D

COMPLETION

136. A random variable with density function e−x for x ≥ 0 has an exponential distribution with λ =
____________________.
ANS: one
137. A random variable with density function e−x for x ≥ 0 has an exponential distribution whose mean is
____________________.
ANS: one

138. A random variable with density function 0.01e−x/100 for x ≥ 0 has an exponential distribution whose
mean is ____________________.
ANS: 100

139. The shape of the density function for an exponential distribution is ____________________.
ANS: positively skewed

140. The mean of an exponential random variable is ____________________ the median.

ANS: greater than

141. If X has an exponential distribution, the possible values of X are from ____________________ to
infinity.
ANS: zero

142. An exponential random variable is an example of a(n) ____________________ random variable.

ANS: continuous

143. If X has an exponential distribution with parameter λ, then f(0) = ____________________.

ANS: λ

144. If X has an exponential distribution with parameter λ, then the mean of X is ______________.
ANS: 1/λ

145. If X has an exponential distribution, then f(x) approaches ____________________ as x approaches

infinity.
ANS: zero

146. The y-intercept of the density function for an exponential distribution with parameter 10 is
____________________.
ANS: 10

147. If X has an exponential distribution, its ____________________ is equal to its

____________________.
ANS: mean; standard deviation

SHORT ANSWER

148. Let X be an exponential random variable with λ = 1.50. Find the following:
a. P(X ≥ 2)
b. P(X ≤ 4)
c. P(1 ≤ X ≤ 3)
d. P(X = 1)

ANS:
a. 0.0498 (note that f(x) = 1.50e−1.50x for x ≥ 0)
b. 0.9975
c. 0.2120
d. 0
149. Let X be an exponential random variable with λ = 1.50. Find the following:
a. f(x)
b. The y-intercept of f(x)
ANS:
a. f(x) = 1.50e−1.50x for x ≥ 0
b. (0, 1.50)

150. Suppose X has an exponential distribution with mean 2. Find f(x).

ANS: f(x) = 0.50e−0.50x for x ≥ 0

Truck Salesman

A used truck salesman in a small town states that, on the average, it takes him 5 days to sell a truck.
Assume that the probability distribution of the length of time between sales is exponentially
distributed.

151. {Truck Salesman Narrative} What is the probability that he will have to wait at least 8 days before
making another sale?
ANS: 0.2019 (Note λ is 1/5 = 0.20 days.)

152. {Truck Salesman Narrative} What is the probability that he will have to wait between 6 and 10 days
before making another sale?
ANS: 0.1659

Repair Time

The time it takes a technician to fix a telephone problem is exponentially distributed with a mean of 15
minutes.

153. {Repair Time Narrative} What is the probability density function for the time it takes a technician to
fix a telephone problem?
ANS: f(x) = (1/15)e−x/15, x ≥ 0

154. {Repair Time Narrative} What is the probability that it will take a technician less than 10 minutes to
fix a telephone problem?
ANS: 0.4866

155. {Repair Time Narrative} What is the variance of the time it takes a technician to fix a telephone
problem?
ANS: 225

156. {Repair Time Narrative} What is the probability that it will take a technician between 10 to 15 minutes
to fix a telephone problem?
ANS: 0.1455

Light Bulb Lifetime

The lifetime of a light bulb (in hours) is exponentially distributed with λ = 0.008.

157. {Light Bulb Lifetime Narrative} What is the mean and standard deviation of the light bulb's lifetime?
ANS: µ = σ = 1/λ = 1/0.008 = 125 hours
158. {Light Bulb Lifetime Narrative} Find the probability that a light bulb will last between 120 and 140
hours.
ANS: P(120 ≤ X ≤ 140) = e−0.008(120) − e−0.008(140) = 0.3829 − 0.3263 = 0.0566

159. {Light Bulb Lifetime Narrative} Find the probability that a light bulb will last for:
a. more than 125 hours.
b. at most 125 hours.
c. no more than 125 hours.
d. exactly 125 hours.
e. less than 125 hours.
f. at least 125 hours.
g. no less than 125 hours.
ANS:
a. P(X > 125) = 0.3679
b. P(X ≤ 125) = 0.6321
c. P(X ≤ 125) = 0.6321
d. P(X = 125) = 0
e. P(X < 125) = 0.6321
f. P(X ≥ 125) = 0.3679
g. P(X ≥ 125) = 0.3679

Counter Sales

Suppose that customers arrive at a counter at an average rate of three customers per minute and that
their arrivals follow the Poisson model.

160. {Counter Sales Narrative} Write the probability density function of the distribution of the time that
will elapse before the next customer arrives.
ANS:
Let T = Elapsed time before the next customer arrives. The random variable T follows an exponential
distribution where λ = 3; with mean 1/3 minute between customers. Then the probability density
function of T is f(t) = 3e−3t, t ≥ 0 minutes.

161. {Counter Sales Narrative} Use the appropriate exponential distribution to find the probability that the
next customer will arrive within 1.5 minutes.
ANS: 0.9889

162. {Counter Sales Narrative} Use the appropriate exponential distribution to find the probability that the
next customer will not arrive within the next 2 minutes.
ANS: 0.0025

Phone Orders

The L. L. Bean catalog department that receives the majority of its orders by telephone conducted a
study to determine how long customers were willing to wait on hold before ordering a product. The
length of time was found to be a random variable best approximated by an exponential distribution
with a mean equal to 3 minutes.

163. {Phone Orders Narrative} What is the value of λ, the parameter of the exponential distribution in this
situation?
ANS: Since µ = 3, then
164. {Phone Orders Narrative} What proportion of customers having to hold more than 1.5 minutes will
hang up before placing an order?

ANS:
P(X > 1.5) = e−0.5 = 0.6065

165. {Phone Orders Narrative} Find the waiting time at which only 10% of the customers will continue to
hold.

ANS: P(X > x) = e−λx ⇒ e−x/3 = .10 ⇒ x = 6.908 minutes.

166. {Phone Orders Narrative} Find the time at which 50% of the customers will continue to hold?

ANS: P(X > x) = e−λx ⇒ e−x/3 = .50 ⇒ x = 2.079 minutes.

167. {Phone Orders Narrative} What proportion of callers are put on hold longer than 3 minutes?

ANS:P(X > 3) = e−3/3 = e−1 = 0.3679.

168. {Phone Orders Narrative} What is the probability that a randomly selected caller is placed on hold for
fewer than 6 minutes?

ANS: P(X < 6) = 1 − e−6/3 = 1 − e−2 = 0.8647.

169. {Phone Orders Narrative} What is the probability that a randomly selected caller is placed on hold for
3 to 6 minutes?

ANS: P(3 < X < 6) = e−3/3 − e−6/3 = e−1 − e−2 = 0.2325.