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Assume that the probability that there is a significant accident in a nuclear power plant during one year's time is .001. If a country has 100 nuclear plants, estimate the probability that there is at least one such accident during a given year.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The probability of at least one accident in a year is approximately 0.0952.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Problem

We need to find the probability that at least one nuclear plant will have a significant accident in a year out of 100 nuclear plants. We know the probability of a nuclear accident for one plant in a year is 0.001.
02

Define Operations

We recognize this as a binomial problem where: \( n = 100 \) (number of trials), \( p = 0.001 \) (probability of success – an accident), and we need \( P(X \geq 1) \).
03

Utilizing Complementary Probability

Since it’s easier to calculate the probability of no accidents, we use the complement rule: \( P(X \geq 1) = 1 - P(X = 0) \).
04

Calculate the Probability of No Accidents

The probability of no accidents (\( X = 0 \)) in 100 nuclear plants can be found using the binomial probability formula:\[ P(X = 0) = \binom{100}{0} (0.001)^0 (0.999)^{100-0} \]Since \( \binom{100}{0} = 1 \) and \( (0.001)^0 = 1 \), we have:\[ P(X = 0) = (0.999)^{100} \]
05

Computation

We now compute the probability:\( (0.999)^{100} \approx 0.9048 \)So the probability of no accidents in all 100 plants is approximately 0.9048.
06

Final Calculation

Applying the complement rule, we find:\( P(X \geq 1) = 1 - P(X = 0) = 1 - 0.9048 = 0.0952 \).
07

Conclusion

The probability that there is at least one significant accident in one or more of the 100 nuclear plants during a year is approximately 0.0952.

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Key Concepts

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

Binomial Probability
When dealing with scenarios like predicting accidents in nuclear power plants, we're often looking at binomial probability. This statistical method is useful to determine the likelihood of a certain number of "successes" (in this case, accidents) in a fixed number of trials. Here are the basics you need to know:
  • Trials (n): These are the number of events or instances you're looking at. For example, 100 nuclear plants represent 100 trials.
  • Probability of Success (p): This is the chance a specific outcome (accident) happens in a single trial. Here, it’s given as 0.001, or 0.1% per plant per year.
Each plant operates independently, and the probability of success or failure remains constant across all trials.
Complement Rule
The complement rule helps find probabilities of an event occurring by first finding the probability of it not occurring. This is especially helpful when calculating "at least one" events, as directly calculating probabilities for multiple successes can be complicated. To clarify:
  • If you want to know the probability of at least one accident occurring, first calculate the probability of zero accidents.
  • The complement rule is expressed as: \( P(A) = 1 - P(A^c) \), where \( P(A^c) \) is the probability of the complement event (no accidents).
By subtracting the probability of no accidents from 1, we find the probability of at least one accident. It's both simpler and intuitive.
Probability of No Accidents
To find the probability of having no accidents in the nuclear plants using the binomial probability, focus on the scenario where all plants run without incident. We apply the formula: \[ P(X = 0) = inom{n}{0} (p)^0 (1-p)^{n} \] This formula helps in calculating the chance of zero successes (accidents) over all trials (plants). Given:
  • \( n = 100 \)
  • \( p = 0.001 \)
  • \( 1-p = 0.999 \)
Use these in our formula: \[ (0.999)^{100} \approx 0.9048 \] So, the probability of no accidents in any of the plants is approximately 90.48%.
Nuclear Power Plant Accidents
Considering the severity of nuclear power plant accidents, countries need to assess risks appropriately. Even though each plant may only have a 0.1% chance of an accident annually, when you consider all plants, the probability of at least one incident increases.
  • Risk Analysis: Evaluating the combined risk across many plants can reveal significant risks, necessitating safety protocols and emergency plans.
  • Communication and Education: Understanding the probabilities involved can help inform the public about safety measures and necessary precautions.
The calculated probability of at least one accident (roughly 9.52%) emphasizes the importance of stringent safety measures in nuclear facilities.

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