Chapter 5: Joint Probability Distributions and Random Samples
Q40E
A box contains ten sealed envelopes numbered\({\rm{1, \ldots ,10}}\). The first five contain no money, the next three each contains\({\rm{\$ 5}}\), and there is a \({\rm{\$ 10}}\) bill in each of the last two. A sample of size \({\rm{3}}\) is selected with replacement (so we have a random sample), and you get the largest amount in any of the envelopes selected. If \({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{1}}}{\rm{,}}{{\rm{X}}_{\rm{2}}}\), and \({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{3}}}\) denote the amounts in the selected envelopes, the statistic of interest is \({\rm{M = }}\) the maximum of\({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{1}}}{\rm{,}}{{\rm{X}}_{\rm{2}}}\), and\({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{3}}}\).
a. Obtain the probability distribution of this statistic.
b. Describe how you would carry out a simulation experiment to compare the distributions of \({\rm{M}}\) for various sample sizes. How would you guess the distribution would change as \({\rm{n}}\) increases?
Q41E
Let \({\rm{X}}\) be the number of packages being mailed by a randomly selected customer at a certain shipping facility. Suppose the distribution of \({\rm{X}}\) is as follows:

a. Consider a random sample of size \({\rm{n = 2}}\) (two customers), and let \({\rm{\bar X}}\) be the sample mean number of packages shipped. Obtain the probability distribution of\({\rm{\bar X}}\).
b. Refer to part (a) and calculate\({\rm{P(\bar X\pounds2}}{\rm{.5)}}\).
c. Again consider a random sample of size\({\rm{n = 2}}\), but now focus on the statistic \({\rm{R = }}\) the sample range (difference between the largest and smallest values in the sample). Obtain the distribution of\({\rm{R}}\). (Hint: Calculate the value of \({\rm{R}}\) for each outcome and use the probabilities from part (a).)
d. If a random sample of size \({\rm{n = 4}}\) is selected, what is \({\rm{P(\bar X\pounds1}}{\rm{.5)}}\) ? (Hint: You should not have to list all possible outcomes, only those for which\({\rm{\bar x\pounds1}}{\rm{.5}}\).)
Q42E
A company maintains three offices in a certain region, each staffed by two employees. Information concerning yearly salaries (\({\rm{1000}}\)s of dollars) is as follows:
\(\begin{array}{*{20}{c}}{{\rm{ Office }}}&{\rm{1}}&{\rm{1}}&{\rm{2}}&{\rm{2}}&{\rm{3}}&{\rm{3}}\\{{\rm{ Employee }}}&{\rm{1}}&{\rm{2}}&{\rm{3}}&{\rm{4}}&{\rm{5}}&{\rm{6}}\\{{\rm{ Salary }}}&{{\rm{29}}{\rm{.7}}}&{{\rm{33}}{\rm{.6}}}&{{\rm{30}}{\rm{.2}}}&{{\rm{33}}{\rm{.6}}}&{{\rm{25}}{\rm{.8}}}&{{\rm{29}}{\rm{.7}}}\end{array}\)
a. Suppose two of these employees are randomly selected from among the six (without replacement). Determine the sampling distribution of the sample mean salary\({\rm{\bar X}}\).
b. Suppose one of the three offices is randomly selected. Let\({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{1}}}\)and\({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{2}}}\)denote the salaries of the two employees. Determine the sampling distribution of\({\rm{\bar X}}\).
c. How does \({\rm{E(\bar X)}}\) from parts (a) and (b) compare to the population mean salary\({\rm{\mu }}\)?
Q43E
Suppose the amount of liquid dispensed by a certain machine is uniformly distributed with lower limit \({\rm{A = 8oz}}\) and upper limit\({\rm{B = 10oz}}\). Describe how you would carry out simulation experiments to compare the sampling distribution of the (sample) fourth spread for sample sizes\({\rm{n = 5,10,20}}\), and\({\rm{30}}\).
Q44E
Carry out a simulation experiment using a statistical computer package or other software to study the sampling distribution of \({\rm{\bar X}}\) when the population distribution is Weibull with \({\rm{\alpha = 2}}\) and\({\rm{\beta = 5}}\), as in Example\({\rm{5}}{\rm{.20}}\).[A1] Consider the four sample sizes, and\({\rm{30}}\), and in each case use \({\rm{1000}}\) replications. For which of these sample sizes does the \({\rm{\bar X}}\) sampling distribution appear to be approximately normal?
Q45E
Carry out a simulation experiment using a statistical computer package or other software to study the sampling distribution of \({\rm{\bar X}}\) when the population distribution is lognormal with \({\rm{E(ln(X)) = 3}}\) and\({\rm{V(ln(X)) = 1}}\). Consider the four sample sizes\({\rm{n = 10,20,30}}\), and\({\rm{50}}\), and in each case use \({\rm{1000}}\) replications. For which of these sample sizes does the \({\rm{\bar X}}\) sampling distribution appear to be approximately normal?
Q46E
Young鈥檚 modulus is a quantitative measure of stiffness of an elastic material. Suppose that for aluminum alloy sheets of a particular type, its mean value and standard deviation are \({\rm{70 GPa}}\) and \({\rm{1}}{\rm{.6 GPa}}\), respectively (values given in the article 鈥淚nfluence of Material Properties Variability on Springback and Thinning in Sheet Stamping Processes: A Stochastic Analysis鈥 (Intl. J. of Advanced Manuf. Tech., \({\rm{2010:117 - 134}}\))).
- If \({\rm{\bar X}}\) is the sample mean young鈥檚 modulus for a random sample of \({\rm{n = 16}}\)sheets, where is the sampling distribution of \({\rm{\bar X}}\)centered, and what is the standard deviation of the \({\rm{\bar X}}\)distribution?
- Answer the questions posed in part (a) for a sample size of \({\rm{n = 64}}\)sheets.
- For which of the two random samples, the one of part (a) or the one of part (b), is \({\rm{\bar X}}\) more likely to be within \({\rm{1GPa}}\) of \({\rm{70 GPa}}\)? Explain your reasoning.
Q48E
The National Health Statistics Reports dated Oct. \({\rm{22, 2008}}\), stated that for a sample size of \({\rm{277 18 - }}\)year-old American males, the sample mean waist circumference was \({\rm{86}}{\rm{.3cm}}\). A somewhat complicated method was used to estimate various population percentiles, resulting in the following values:

a. Is it plausible that the waist size distribution is at least approximately normal? Explain your reasoning. If your answer is no, conjecture the shape of the population distribution.
b. Suppose that the population mean waist size is \({\rm{85cm}}\)and that the population standard deviation is \({\rm{15cm}}\). How likely is it that a random sample of \({\rm{277}}\) individuals will result in a sample mean waist size of at least \({\rm{86}}{\rm{.3cm}}\)?
c. Referring back to (b), suppose now that the population mean waist size in \({\rm{82cm}}\).Now what is the (approximate) probability that the sample mean will be at least \({\rm{86}}{\rm{.3cm}}\)? In light of this calculation, do you think that \({\rm{82cm}}\)is a reasonable value for \({\rm{\mu }}\)?
Q49E
There are \({\rm{40}}\) students in an elementary statistics class. On the basis of years of experience, the instructor knows that the time needed to grade a randomly chosen first examination paper is a random variable with an expected value of \({\rm{6}}\)min and a standard deviation of \({\rm{6}}\)min.
a. If grading times are independent and the instructor begins grading at \({\rm{6:50}}\) p.m. and grades continuously, what is the (approximate) probability that he is through grading before the \({\rm{11:00}}\) p.m. TV news begins?
b. If the sports report begins at \({\rm{11:10,}}\) what is the probability that he misses part of the report if he waits until grading is done before turning on the TV?
Q4E
Return to the situation described in Exercise \({\rm{3}}\).
a. Determine the marginal pmf of \({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{1}}}\), and then calculate the expected number of customers in line at the express checkout.
b. Determine the marginal pmf of \({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{2}}}\).
c. By inspection of the probabilities \({\rm{P(}}{{\rm{X}}_{\rm{1}}}{\rm{ = 4),P(}}{{\rm{X}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{ = 0),}}\) and \({\rm{P(}}{{\rm{X}}_{\rm{1}}}{\rm{ = 4,}}{{\rm{X}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{ = 0),}}\) are \({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{1}}}\) and \({{\rm{X}}_{\rm{2}}}\) independent random variables? Explain