Probability Distributions (DP IB Applications & Interpretation (AI): SL): Exam Questions

3 hours29 questions
1a
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1 mark

Three biased coins are tossed.

Write down all the possible outcomes when the three coins are tossed.

 

1b
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3 marks

For each coin the probability of getting heads is 23.  A random variable, X, is defined as the number of heads when the three coins are tossed.

Complete the following probability distribution table for X:

x

0

1

2

3

P(X=x)

 

 

 

 

 

1c
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2 marks

 Hence, by inserting the relevant probabilities, represent the probability distribution for X as a

piecewise function in the form

P(X=x)=f(x)={     x=0      x=1      x=2      x=30otherwise

1d
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2 marks

Represent the probability distribution for X as a bar chart.

2
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2 marks

The random variable X has the probability function

P(X=x)={x3kx=1,2,3,4,50otherwise

Show that  k=5.

3a
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2 marks

The random variable X has the probability function

P(X=x)={kxx=1,3,5,70 1kotherwise

Find the value of k.

 

3b
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2 marks

Find P(X>3).

3c
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1 mark

State, with a reason, whether or not X is a discrete random variable.

4a
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2 marks

The random variable X has the probability function

P(X=x)={0.23x=1, 4kx=0, 20.13x=1, 30otherwise

Find the value of k.

4b
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2 marks

Construct a table giving the probability distribution of X.

4c
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1 mark

Find P(0X<3).

5
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6 marks

A discrete random variable X has the probability distribution shown in the following table:

x

0

1

2

3

4

P(X=x)

524

13

14

112

18

Find:

(i) P(X<4)

(ii) P(X>1)

(iii) P(2<X4)

(iv) P(0<X<4)

6a
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1 mark

Leonardo has constructed a biased spinner with six sectors labelled 0,1, 1, 2 ,3  and 5. The probability of the spinner landing on each of the six sectors is shown in the following table:

number on sector

0

1

1

2

3

5

probability

620

p

320

520

320

120

Find the value of p.

6b
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3 marks

Leonardo is playing a game with his biased spinner. The score for the game, , is the number which the spinner lands on after being spun.

Leonardo plays the game twice and adds the two scores together.Find the probability that Leonardo has a total score of 5.

6c
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2 marks

Complete the following cumulative probability function table for X:

Score x

0

1

2

3

5

P(Xx)

620

 

 

 

1

6d
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2 marks

Find the probability that X is

(i) no more than 1

(ii) at least 3.

7a
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2 marks

A discrete random variable X has the following probability distribution:

x

-3

-1

0

1

3

P(X=x)

0.11

k2

0.1

2k

0.1

where k is a positive constant.

Show that k2+2k0.69=0.

7b
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1 mark

Hence find the value of k

7c
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3 marks

Find E(X).

8
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4 marks

A spinner is spun on a circle that is divided up into five sections, A, B, C, D and E

The probability of the spinner landing on each section is given by the following table:

 Region

A

B

C

D

E

 Probability

0.55

0.15

0.15

 0.1

0.05 

A person who rotates the spinner scores points depending on which section the spinner lands on. These points are shown below.

 Region

A

B

C

D

E

 Points

-5

2

3

10

k

Given that the game is fair, find the value of k.

9a
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3 marks

A discrete random variable X has the following probability distribution:

x

0

1

2

3

4

P(X=x)

0.1

0.05

a

 0.1

The value of  E(X)=2.3.

Show that a and b must satisfy the following two simultaneous equations:

a+b=0.75

2a+3b=1.85

9b
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2 marks

Hence find the value of a and the value of b.

9c
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2 marks

Find P(1X<4).

 

1a
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2 marks

Frank plays a game involving a biased six-sided die.

The faces of the die are numbered 1 to 6.

The score of the game,X , is the number which lands face up after the die is rolled.

The following table shows the probability distribution for X.

Score, x

1

2

3

4

5

6

P(X=x)

16

12p

18

32p

112

3p

Calculate the exact value of p.

1b
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3 marks

Frank plays the game once.

Calculate the expected score.

1c
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3 marks

Frank plays the game twice and adds the scores together.

Find the probability Frank has a total score of 4, giving your answer as a fraction.

2a
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1 mark

A weekly raffle ticket costs $k, with three different levels of prizes, $S. The grand prize in the first week is $100 and it increases by $5 every week if nobody wins it.

The following table shows the probability distribution for S.

Prize, s

0

20

Grand prize

P(S=s)

9p

7p

4p

Find the value of p.

 

2b
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2 marks

Given the grand prize is not won, write down an expression for the grand prize, G, in the form G=a+bn, where a and b are constants to be found and n is the week of the raffle.

2c
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2 marks

Given the raffle is a fair game in the fourth week, find the value of k.

2d
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3 marks

Find the week in which the expected profit for the ticket buyer is $5.

3a
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3 marks

A shooting target is divided in to three regions A, B and C. Contestants pay $7.50 to enter and get to take one shot.

The probability of hitting each region is given in the following table:

Region

A

B

C

Missed target

Probability

115

215

a15

b15

It is given 3a=b and  a,b.

Find the value of a and b.

3b
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4 marks

A contestant’s prize is dependent on the target they hit.

Region

A

B

C

Missed target

Prize

$35

$k

 $7.50

0

Calculate the value of such that the game is a fair game.

4a
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3 marks

A game is played where contestants shoot a football at a goal with a goal keeper.  The goal is divided into five regions; A, B, C, D and E.  Each region is assigned with the scores, X, outlined in the table below.

q4a-4-4-probability-hard-ib-ai-sl-maths

The following table shows the value of X for each region and the probability distribution for X.

Region

A

B

C

D

E

Miss

Score

1

4

4

8

8

 -2

 P(X=x)

0.3

 p

 p

 q

q

0.4

Find the exact value of  p and  q.

4b
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2 marks

Calculate the expected score.

4c
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3 marks

Find the probability that a player has a score of 16 after two rounds.

5a
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1 mark

A spinner has six sections; A, B, C, D, E and F.  The table below shows the area of the spinner occupied by each section and their respective pay offs.

Section

A

B

C

D

E

F

Area

 27

 521

 421

 17

 p

 121

Prize

$6

$5

$4

$3

$2

$1

Calculate the value of p.

5b
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4 marks

The game costs $4 and John says that the expected profit from playing the game is $0.30.

Calculate the percentage error in John’s claim.

 

6
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5 marks

A biased coin has a probability of showing tails as 0.85. Leon plays a game where he flips the coin.  He pays $15  to play.  If the coin lands on tails he receives nothing but if it lands on heads he receives $5c.The game is fair.

Determine the value of c and write down the total prize if he wins.

 

7a
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1 mark

Two biased coins are tossed and a fair spinner divided into four equal sectors numbered 1 to 4 is spun.

Write down the total number of possible outcomes when the two coins are tossed and the spinner is spun.

7b
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4 marks

A random variable, X, is defined as the number of tails when the two coins are tossed multiplied by the number the spinner lands on when it is spun.

For each coin the probability of getting tails is  16.

Complete the following probability distribution table for X:

x

0

1

2

3

4

6

8

P(X=x)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7c
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3 marks

Represent the probability distribution for X as a piecewise function in the form:

P(X=x)=f(x)={

8a
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4 marks

A discrete random variable X has the following probability distribution:

x

-5

-3

-1

0

1

3

5

P(X=x)

0.24

2k2

0.04

0.12

3k

0.19

0.11

Find the value of k.

8b
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3 marks

Find E(X).

9a
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2 marks

A discrete random variable X has the probability distribution shown in the following table: 

x

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

P(X=x)

a

2a

3a

4a

5a

6a

7a

 Find the value of a.

 

9b
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6 marks

Find:

(i) P(X4)

(ii) P(X2)

(iii) P(1<X5)

(iv) P(0<X<6).

10a
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2 marks

Tom has constructed a biased spinner with six sectors labelled 1 to 6.

The probability of the spinner landing on each of the six sectors is shown in the following table:

Number on sector

1

2

3

 4

5

6

probability

 1.5p

 p

 325

 110

 350

 1100

Find the value of p.

 

10b
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3 marks

Tom is playing a game with his biased spinner. The score for the game, X, is the number which the spinner lands on after being spun.

Tom plays the game twice and adds the two scores together. Find the probability that Tom has a total score of 9.

10c
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2 marks

Find the probability that X is 

(i) no more than 3

(ii) at least 5.

1a
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2 marks

Ben plays a game involving a biased eight-sided die.

The faces of the die are labelled -4, -2, -1, 0, 1, 3, 5, 6.

The score of the game, X, is the number which lands face up after the die is rolled.

The following table shows the probability distribution for X.

Score, x

 -4

-2

-1

0

3

P(X=x)

 16

 p

 18

 14

 112

 18

 148

 q

It is given that  p=4q.

Calculate the exact values of p and q.

1b
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3 marks

Ben plays the game once.

Calculate the expected score.

1c
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3 marks

Ben plays the game twice and adds the scores together.

Find the probability that Ben has a total score of -3, giving your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.

2a
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1 mark

A weekly lottery ticket costs $15, with five different levels of prizes, $s. The grand prize in the first week is $2000 and it increases by 20% each week that nobody wins it.

The following table shows the probability distribution for S.

Prize, $s

0

2

10

20

100

Grand prize

P(S=s)

12

14

16

124

p

11000

Find the value of p.

2b
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2 marks

Determine if the lottery is a fair game in the first week.

2c
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2 marks

Given the grand prize is not won, write an expression in terms of for the value of the grand prize in the nth week of the lottery.

2d
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4 marks

The wth week is the first week which a player is expected to make a profit.

Calculate the value of w and the expected profit. Give your answer correct to 2 decimal places.

3a
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4 marks

A discrete random variable X  has the following probability distribution:

x

-5

-3

-1

0

1

3

5

P(X=x)

0.42

k42

0.05

0.21

(3k4)2

0.09

0.07

Find the value of k.

 

3b
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3 marks

Find E(X).

4a
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4 marks

A discrete random variable X has the following probability distribution:

x

0

1

2

3

4

P(X=x)

0.04

0.35

a

0.21

b

The value of E(X)= 2.28.

Write down two equations connecting a and b.

4b
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2 marks

Hence find the value of a and the value of b.

4c
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2 marks

Find P(1<X4).

5a
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5 marks

Two fair six-sided dice are rolled. One is a standard die with sides numbered 1 to 6 and the other die has sides numbered 1, 1, 2, 2, 4, 4.

The discrete random variable S is the sum of these two dice when they are rolled.

Complete the following probability distribution table.

s

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P(S=s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5b
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3 marks

Find E(S).

6a
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3 marks

Let X be the discrete random variable represented in the probability distribution table below.

x

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

P(X=x)

0.32

0.22

0.21

1k

7k2

4k2

2k2

1k2

1k2

Find the value of k.

6b
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3 marks

Find the expected value of X.

 

7a
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1 mark

The table below represents the number of pets and the corresponding probability of a house having that number of pets.

Number of pets, x

0

1

2

3

4

 P(X=x)

0.44

0.21

0.19

 p

0.02

Find the value of p.

7b
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2 marks

Find the expected number of pets in a house.

7c
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3 marks

There was a recording error and houses with 5 pets were not counted. It is found that there are 6 houses with 5 pets. The neighbourhood in total has 406 houses, including these 6 houses.

Complete the following table for the true probability distribution of the number of pets, x.

Number of pets,  x

0

1

2

3

4

5

P(X=x)

 

 

 

 

 

 

7d
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2 marks

Find the actual expected number of pets.

7e
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2 marks

Calculate the percentage error between your answer in part (b) and your answer in part (d).

8a
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2 marks

The table below represents the probability distribution for the number of apple products people have in a city in France.

Number of apple products, x

 P(X=x)

0

0.1925

1

0.1815

2

0.2250

3

 p

4

0.0895

5

0.0504

6

0.0307

7

0.0104

8

 q

It is given that p=21q   

Find the value of  p and q.

8b
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2 marks

Find the expected number of apple products a randomly selected person from this city has.

8c
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2 marks

The city has a population of 412 000.  The average amount someone from this city spends on an apple product is €825.

Estimate the revenue apple earned from sales to people in this city. Give your answer to the nearest euro (€).

9a
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2 marks

A discrete random variable X has the probability distribution shown in the following table:

x

-5

-1

2

6

P(X=x)

25

14

p

4p

Find the value of p.

9b
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6 marks

X is sampled twice such that the results of the two experiments are independent of each other and the outcomes of the two experiments are recorded.  A new random variable, Y, is defined as the sum of the two outcomes .

Draw a probability distribution table for Y.

10a
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4 marks

The table below represents the number of strokes Josh takes on a particular round of golf and the corresponding frequencies over a year of playing at the same golf course.

Number of strokes, x

Frequency

70

1

71

7

72

10

75

3

76

2

78

1

80

1

Complete the following probability distribution table for the data above.3

Number of strokes, x

P(X=x)

70

 

71

 

72

 

75

 

76

 

78

 

80

10b
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3 marks

Par refers to the number of strokes a golfer is expected to need to complete the play on a golf course. The par number of strokes for Josh’s golf course is 72.

Determine whether Josh’s expected number of strokes is less than or greater than the par number of strokes.