In: Statistics and Probability
For each of the following scenarios, identify whether or not process is random (e.g. random or non-random) and, if random, what distribution can be used to describe it (binomial, poisson, hyper-geometric, uniform, normal, exponential, or none of the listed before):
1. Counting the number of car accidents on Hamburg Turnpike between 8 and 9 AM on Mondays
2. Counting the number of houses in each block in the city
3. Recording scores from consecutive SAT test attempts
4. Counting the number of customers that arrives in the store on random days either between 1 and 3 PM or between 6 and 10 PM
5. Measuring the height of NJ residents
Solution
1. Counting the number of car accidents on Hamburg Turnpike between 8 and 9 AM on Mondays is Random and it is distributed as Poisson
2. Counting the number of houses in each block in the city is not random [the number is a fixed constant]
3. Recording scores from consecutive SAT test attempts is Random and it is distributed as Normal
4. Counting the number of customers that arrives in the store on random days either between 1 and 3 PM or between 6 and 10 PM is Random and it is distributed as Poisson
5. Measuring the height of NJ residents is Random and it is distributed as Normal
Explanations
1. The process has unlimited possibilities, but actual probability is very low [or mathematically, n tends to infinity and p tends to zero.]
3. SAT scores can be any value within the prescribed limits and score though apparently looks discrete, it is in reality continuous.
4. Customer arrivals are generally treated as a Poisson process.
5. Height is a measurable quantity and lies between some specified values.
DONE