In: Statistics and Probability
1. In ice hockey, play progresses until the referee blows the whistle, which could happen at any moment in the game. Whistles are an important part of the game because they offer time for teams to switch players, for broadcasters to air commercials, for fans to find or leave their seats, etc. As such, as the new NHL statistics intern, you have been tasked with studying issues related to whistles. Suppose that 8.3 whistles happen per period in hockey. (A hockey period is 20 minutes.)
a. You’re a fan that arrived at the beginning of a period and the ushers won’t let you find your seat until the first whistle. What’s the probability you’ll have to wait at least 5 minutes before being let in? (You can pretend a period goes on forever for this part.)
b. You’re a TV producer who has sold ads that will be played during the first three whistle breaks of the first period. What is the probability there won’t be enough whistle breaks to play these ads in the first period?