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Use the following information to answer the next six exercises: On average, a clothing store gets 120 customers per day. Which type of distribution can the Poisson model be used to approximate? When would you do this?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The Poisson distribution can approximate the Binomial distribution when the number of trials is large, and the event probability is small.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Poisson Distribution

The Poisson distribution is used to model the number of times an event occurs in a fixed interval of time or space. It's suitable when these events happen with a known constant mean rate and independently of the time since the last event.
02

Identifying Conditions for Poisson Approximation

For a Poisson distribution to approximate another type of distribution, typically, the number of events (n) should be large, and the probability of each event (p) should be small. A common rule of thumb is that the mean (np) is less than 10.
03

Connecting with Binomial Distribution

The Poisson distribution can often approximate the Binomial distribution under the conditions where the number of trials is very large (n is large), and the probability of success is very small (p is small), resulting in a relatively small mean (np < 10).
04

Application Context

In the context of the clothing store, if you were examining events like the number of times a rare event occurs with 120 average customer visits per day, and each customer independently has a small chance of triggering that event (say, a very low probability of a specific purchase), the Poisson distribution might approximate this situation.

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Key Concepts

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

Exploring the Binomial Distribution
The Binomial Distribution is a foundational concept in statistics. It helps us understand situations where there are two possible outcomes, often labeled as "success" and "failure". For example, when flipping a coin, each flip can land as heads (success) or tails (failure). In a typical binomial setting, we are interested in the number of successes over a series of trials.
Some important parameters to note include:
  • n: The number of trials
  • p: The probability of success on a single trial
The Binomial Distribution is defined by the formula: \[P(X = k) = \binom{n}{k} p^k (1-p)^{n-k}\]where \(P(X = k)\) is the probability of getting exactly \(k\) successes in \(n\) trials.
A key aspect of the binomial model is that each trial is independent, and the probability of success remains the same. This distribution is crucial for modeling and analyzing real-world scenarios where outcomes are either one option or the other, such as yes or no, success or failure, etc.
Understanding Probability Models
Probability Models are graphical or mathematical representations used to understand how likely events are to occur. They help predict and explain occurrences, providing a framework for analyzing different types of data. At the core, they utilize the formal theory of probability to explain randomness.
Probability models are essential in interpreting data and predicting future events, particularly in fields like finance, insurance, and operations research. A few common probability models include:
  • Uniform distribution: Where each outcome is equally likely.
  • Normal distribution: Often called the bell curve, used for distributions of continuous variables.
  • Binomial distribution: For modeling binary outcomes (as discussed above).
  • Poisson distribution: Used when modeling the number of times an event occurs in an interval.
In practice, choosing the right probability model depends on the pattern and nature of data. Correctly applying these models can help to infer policies or make decisions based on statistical evidence.
Unraveling Statistical Approximation
Statistical Approximation involves using simpler or alternative mathematical expressions to estimate or approximate the behaviors of more complex distributions. Sometimes, working with the exact distribution may be computationally difficult or unnecessary, especially if an approximation offers sufficient accuracy.
One common example is using the Poisson distribution to approximate a Binomial distribution. This is particularly useful when:
  • The number of trials \(n\) is large.
  • The probability of success \(p\) is small.
  • The resultant mean \(np\) (also known as the expected number of successes) is less than 10.
In these situations, calculating probabilities using Poisson approximation is usually simpler. The approximation can streamline computations while maintaining adequate precision for decision-making and analysis.
Such a technique is widely used across different areas like quality control and risk management, providing flexibility in analytical and computational approaches.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Fertile, female cats produce an average of three litters per year. Suppose that one fertile, female cat is randomly chosen. In one year, find the probability she produces: a. In words, define the random variable X. b. List the values that X may take on. c. Give the distribution of \(X, X \sim\) _______ d. Find the probability that she has no litters in one year. e. Find the probability that she has at least two litters in one year. f. Find the probability that she has exactly three litters in one year.

Find the standard deviation. $$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|}\hline x & {P(x)} & {x^{*} P(x)} & {(x-\mu)^{2} P(x)} \\ \hline 2 & {0.1} & {2(0.1)=0.2} & {(2-5.4)^{2}(0.1)=1.156} \\\ \hline 4 & {0.3} & {4(0.3)=1.2} & {(4-5.4)^{2}(0.3)=0.588} \\ \hline 6 & {0.4} & {6(0.4)=2.4} & {(6-5.4)^{2}(0.4)=0.144} \\ \hline 8 & {0.2} & {8(0.2)=1.6} & {(8-5.4)^{2}(0.2)=1.352} \\ \hline \end{array}$$

A venture capitalist, willing to invest \(\$ 1,000,000\), has three investments to choose from. The first investment, a software company, has a 10% chance of returning \(\$ 5,000,000\) profit, a 30% chance of returning \(\$ 1,000,000\) profit, and a 60% chance of losing the million dollars. The second company, a hardware company, has a 20% chance of returning \(\$ 3,000,000\) profit, a 40% chance of returning \(\$ 1,000,000\) profit, and a 40% chance of losing the million dollars. The third company, a biotech firm, has a 10% chance of returning \(\$ 6,000,000\) profit, a 70% of no profit or loss, and a 20% chance of losing the million dollars. a. Construct a PDF for each investment. b. Find the expected value for each investment. c. Which is the safest investment? Why do you think so? d. Which is the riskiest investment? Why do you think so? e. Which investment has the highest expected return, on average?

Use the following information to answer the next six exercises: On average, eight teens in the U.S. die from motor vehicle injuries per day. As a result, states across the country are debating raising the driving age. Is it likely that there will be no teens killed from motor vehicle injuries on any given day in the U.S? Justify your answer numerically.

Use the following information to answer the next seven exercises: A ballet instructor is interested in knowing what percent of each year's class will continue on to the next, so that she can plan what classes to offer. Over the years, she has established the following probability distribution. \(\bullet\) Let \(X=\) the number of years a student will study ballet with the teacher. \(\bullet\) Let \(P(x)=\) the probability that a student will study ballet \(x\) years. You are playing a game by drawing a card from a standard deck and replacing it. If the card is a face card, you win \(\$ 30\). If it is not a face card, you pay \(\$ 2\). There are 12 face cards in a deck of 52 cards. What is the expected value of playing the game?

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