Stat 425

EXAM 2

Name:

Exam Instructions: Use a separate piece of paper to answer each question. Label the paper with the question number and your name. Try
to show as much work as possible and explain your thoughts. There
are 3 problems on this test.
1) A density function sometimes used by engineers to model the lengths of life of
electronic components is the Rayleigh density, given by

f (y) =

2y y 2 /
e

if 0 y;
elsewhere.

Let U = Y 2 .
a) Find the cumulative distribution function of Y . (Be careful to specify the
cumulative distribution function for all < u < .)
b) Using the transformation method, derive the probability density function of
U . (Be careful to specify the probability density function for all < u <
.)
c) Using the method of distribution functions, derive the probability density
function of U . (Be careful to specify the probability density function for all
< u < .)

2) Company A manufactures computer discs that are defective with probability

.01 whereas tire company B manufactures computer discs that are defective with
probability .05. Suppose you purchase some discs from a company. This company
is equally likely to be company A or B.
a) We know that company A supplied the discs. What is the chance that 2 of
the first 3 computer discs are defective?
b) We do not know which company supplied the discs. Consider the first computer disc. What is the chance that it is defective?
c) We do not know which company supplied the discs. Consider the first two
computer discs. Let X = 1 if computer disc 1 is defective, and let X = 0
otherwise. Let Y = 1 if computer disc 2 is defective and let Y = 0 otherwise.
Prove or disprove that X and Y are independent.
d) In part c) above, is Z = X + Y a Binomial random variable? (give a detailed
explanation explain all assumptions).
e) We buy 1000 computer discs from company B. Approximate the probability
that more than 65 will be defective.
3) The probability density function of X, the lifetime of a electronic device (in
hours) is given by,

f (y) =

2y y 2 /100
100 e

if 0 y;
elsewhere.

a) Find P [X > 20].

b) What is the probability that of 6 such devices exactly 3 will function for at
least 20 hours? (State any assumptions!)

Answers
1a)

1 ey
0

1b) Since U = Y 2

if y 0;
elsewhere.

we have g(y) = y 2 and g 1 (u) = u. Also

FY (y) =

1
d 1
g (u) = u1/2 .
du
2
Thus,

d
fU (u) = fY (g 1 (u)) g 1 (u)
du

2 u u/ 1 1/2
=
e
u
,

so

fU (u)) =

1 u/
e

if u 0;
elsewhere.

1c) If u < 0 then P [U u] = 0. If u 0 then

P [U u] = P [Y 2 u]
p
= P [Y (u)]
p
= FY ( (u))
= 1 eu/ .
Thus

fU (u) =

2a)

1 u/
e

if u 0;
elsewhere.

3
.012 .991
2

2b) P [DA] + P [DB] = P [D|A]P [A] + P [D|B]P [B] = .01(.5) + .05(.5) = .03
3

2c) We will check if P [X = 1, Y = 1] is equal to P [X = 1]P [Y = 1]. From 2b)

above we have that P [X = 1] = P [Y = 1] = .03, so P [X = 1]P [Y = 1]= .0009.
Now P [X = 1, Y = 1]=P [DDA] + P [DDB] = P [DD|A]P [A] + P [DD|B]P [B]. So
P [X = 1, Y = 1]=.012 (.5) + .052 (.5)=.0013. Since .0009 6= .0013 we have that X
and Y are not independent.
2d) Z is not a binomial because the trials making up Z are not independent.
That is because X and Y are not independent. A binomial has to be the number
of successes on n independent trials, each trial having the same probability of
success.
2e) Since we know that all of the computer discs are from company B, we
have that the number of defective computer discs out of 1000 is a binomial random
variable (Im assuming that the computer discs fail independently of one another).
Since 1000 is pretty large, I will use the normal approximation to the binomial.
Let S be the number of defective computer discs. Note that np = 1000(.05) = 50
and np(1 p) = 1000(.05)(.95) = 47.5.
P [S > 65] = P [S > 65.5]

P [Z > (65.5 50)/ 47.5]

= 1 (2.25)
= 1 .9878 = .0122

3a) e4 = .018
3b)

6
.0183 .9823
3

Im assuming that the lives of the electronic devices are independent.

4