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The probability that your call to a service line is answered in less than 30 seconds is \(0.75 .\) Assume that your calls are independent. (a) What is the probability that you must call four times to obtain the first answer in less than 30 seconds? (b) What is the mean number of calls until you are answered in less than 30 seconds?

Short Answer

Expert verified
(a) 0.0117; (b) 1.33 calls

Step by step solution

01

Problem Interpretation

This problem deals with a geometric distribution, which is used to find the number of Bernoulli trials needed to get the first success. Here, a 'success' is defined as getting a call answered in less than 30 seconds.
02

Define Variables and Parameters

Let the probability of success (call answered in less than 30 seconds) be denoted as \(p = 0.75\). Therefore, the probability of failure (call not answered in less than 30 seconds) is \(q = 1 - p = 0.25\).
03

Calculate for Part (a)

We want the probability that the first success occurs on the 4th call. For a geometric distribution, the probability that the first success occurs on the \(k\)-th trial is given by \( P(X = k) = q^{k-1} \times p \). Here, \( k = 4 \), \( q = 0.25 \), and \( p = 0.75 \). Plug in these values to get:\[ P(X = 4) = 0.25^{3} \times 0.75 = 0.25 \times 0.25 \times 0.25 \times 0.75 = 0.0117 \].
04

Calculate for Part (b)

The mean (expected value) \(E(X)\) for a geometric distribution, where \(p\) is the probability of success, is \(E(X) = \frac{1}{p}\). Therefore, \(E(X) = \frac{1}{0.75} = \frac{4}{3} \approx 1.33\). This is the average number of calls until the first success occurs.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Probability of Success
Understanding the probability of success is essential when dealing with geometric distributions, especially in scenarios involving repeated trials, like making phone calls until reaching an answer. In this context, the probability of success, represented as \( p \), is the likelihood that an event occurs in the way we desire. For the exercise at hand, a success is when a call is answered in less than 30 seconds. We are given that this probability of success, \( p \), is 0.75, meaning there is a 75% chance of this happening each time you make a call.Calculating these probabilities helps in predicting outcomes and in setting expectations for processes involving repetition. Each call made is an independent event, so it doesn't influence the next call's outcome. This independence is a key property of Bernoulli trials, which are essentially experiments where each trial results in a "success" or "failure".
Expected Value
The concept of expected value provides a mathematical way to determine the average outcome for a random variable over many trials. In geometric distributions, the expected value can tell us the average number of trials needed to achieve the first success. For the problem in question, we calculate the mean number of calls until being answered in less than 30 seconds using the formula \( E(X) = \frac{1}{p} \), where \( p \) is the probability of success. Here, \( p = 0.75 \), so the expected value, \( E(X) \), becomes \( \frac{1}{0.75} = \frac{4}{3} \) or approximately 1.33.This expected value tells us, on average, it takes roughly 1.33 calls to successfully get an answer in less than 30 seconds. The expected value is significant as it gives us a statistical insight into the process's efficiency, helping in planning and resource allocation.
Bernoulli Trials
A Bernoulli trial is a random experiment where there are only two possible outcomes: success or failure. Each trial should be independent, meaning the result of one trial does not affect the others. This independence allows for the calculation of probabilities over multiple trials without interference or bias. In the exercise, each call made is a Bernoulli trial, with the possible outcomes being whether a call is answered in less than 30 seconds or not. This kind of simplicity in outcomes allows for the effective use of geometric distributions to predict the call results over time. Understanding Bernoulli trials is essential for probability theory, as they form the foundation for many other distributions, like the binomial distribution or geometric distribution. By recognizing a situation as involving Bernoulli trials, we can model and solve real-world problems more effectively, predicting outcomes and mean values easily.

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