Analysis of bottled water. Is the bottled water you’re drinking really purified water? A study of bottled water brands conductedby the Natural Resources DefenseCouncil(NRDC) found that 25% of bottled water is just tap water packagedin a bottle (NRDC report updated, July 2013).Consider a sample of five bottled water brands and let equalthe number of these brands that use tap water.

a. Explain why x is (approximately) a binomial random variable.

b. Give the probability distribution for x as a formula.

c. Find P (x = 2)

d. Find P(x≤1).

e. In a random sample of 65 bottled water brands, is it likelythat 20 or more brands will contain tap water?Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
  1. X is approximately a binomial random variable.
  2. Probability distribution for x as a formula isP(X)=nxpxqn-x
  3. The value of P ( x = 2) is 0.2750
  4. The value ofP(x≤1)is 0.6328
  5. In a random sample of 65 bottled water brands, is it likely that 20 or more brands will contain tap water the probability being 0.1414

Step by step solution

01

Given information

From the study of bottled water brands it is found that 25% of bottled water is just tap water packed in a bottle.

X be thenumber of these brands that use tap water.

02

Verifying x is approximately a binomial random variable

a.

Let x be the number of bottled water brands that use tap water

Here, n = 5

Andp= 0.25

Hence, we can say that x follows a binomial distribution with the parameters n = 5 and p = 0.25

03

 Computing the probability distribution for X

b.

Probability distribution for X is given by:

P(X|x)=nxpxqn-x

Where and x=0,1,2...

X follows a binomial distribution with parameters npq

04

 Computing the probability P( x = 2)

c.

Given n=5,p=0.25, x=2

Therefore,

P(x=2)=520.252(1-0.25)3=10×0.062×0.421=0.2750

05

 Computing the probability P(x≤1)

d.

Given n=5,p=0.25, x=2

P(x≤2)=∑x=015x(0.25)2(1-0.25)3=0.63281

06

:Computing the probability P ( x>20 )

e.

Here n=65, p=0.25

Mean is given by npthat is:

n×p=65×0.25=16.25

Standard deviation is given bynpqthat is:

SD=n×p×(1-p)=65×0.25×0.75=3.491P(x>20)=P7>x-meanvariance=P7>20-16.253.491=P(7.1.074)P(x>20)=1-P(7<1.074)=0.1414

Hence in a random sample of 65 bottled water brands, is it likely that 20 or more brands will contain tap water and the probability will be 0.1414.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Lead in metal shredder residue. On the basis of data collectedfrom metal shredders across the nation, the amount xof extractable lead in metal shredder residue has an approximateexponential distribution with meanθ= 2.5 milligramsper liter (Florida Shredder’s Association).

a. Find the probability that xis greater than 2 milligramsper liter.

b. Find the probability that xis less than 5 milligrams perliter.

Identify the type of random variable—binomial, Poisson or hypergeometric—described by each of the following probability distributions:

a.p(x)=5xe-5x!;x=0,1,2,...

b.p(x)=(6x)(.2)x(.8)6-x;x=0,1,2,...,6

c.p(x)=10!x!(10-x)!(.9)x(.1)10-x:x=0,1,2,...,10

Find the following probabilities for the standard normal

random variable z:

a.P(z≤2.1)

b.P(z≥2.1)

c.P(z≥-1.65)

d.P(-2.13≤z≤-.41)

e.P(-1.45≤z≤2.15)

f.P(z≤-1.43)

Public transit deaths. Millions of suburban commuters use the public transit system (e.g., subway trains) as an alter native to the automobile. While generally perceived as a safe mode of transportation, the average number of deaths per week due to public transit accidents is 5 (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2015).

a. Construct arguments both for and against the use of the Poisson distribution to characterize the number of deaths per week due to public transit accidents.

b. For the remainder of this exercise, assume the Poisson distribution is an adequate approximation for x, the number of deaths per week due to public transit accidents. Find E(x)and the standard deviation of x.

c. Based strictly on your answers to part b, is it likely that more than 12 deaths occur next week? Explain.

d. Findp(x>12). Is this probability consistent with your answer to part c? Explain.

Suppose x is a binomial random variable with n = 3 and p = .3.

  1. Calculate the value of p(x),role="math" localid="1653657859012" x=0,1,2,3,using the formula for a binomial probability distribution.
  2. Using your answers to part a, give the probability distribution for x in tabular form.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Math Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free