4. ( 3 points) If the time required to scan one customer's bags is exponentially distributed with mean of 5 seconds, then what is the likelihood that it will take no more than 2 seconds?
Upstudy AI Solution
Answer
Solution

Sign in to Unlock Answers for Free!
A Learning Platform Trusted by Millions of Real Students and Teachers.

Answered by UpStudy AI and reviewed by a Professional Tutor
The Deep Dive
To solve this, we first need to recognize that if the mean time is 5 seconds, the rate parameter (λ) of the exponential distribution can be calculated as λ = 1/mean = 1/5 = 0.2. The cumulative distribution function (CDF) for an exponential distribution is given by F(t) = 1 - e^(-λt). We can plug in our values with t = 2 seconds: F(2) = 1 - e^(-0.2 * 2) = 1 - e^(-0.4) ≈ 1 - 0.6703 = 0.3297. Thus, the likelihood that it will take no more than 2 seconds is approximately 32.97%. Remember, exponential distributions can seem counterintuitive at first; events are actually more likely to happen sooner than later, which makes the math behind it fascinating! Also, if you're ever staring at these problems, mixing up your λ and mean can lead to incorrect conclusions, so keep those units straight!