Questions: A daily mail is delivered to your house between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Assume delivery times follow the continuous uniform distribution. Determine the percentage of mail deliveries that are made after 4:00 p.m.
Multiple Choice
37.5%
33.3%
25%
27.5%
Transcript text: A daily mail is delivered to your house between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Assume delivery times follow the continuous uniform distribution. Determine the percentage of mail deliveries that are made after 4:00 p.m.
Multiple Choice
37.5\%
33.3\%
25\%
27.5\%
Solution
Solution Steps
Step 1: Define the Uniform Distribution
The delivery times of the mail are uniformly distributed between \( a = 13.0 \) (1:00 p.m.) and \( b = 17.0 \) (5:00 p.m.). The uniform distribution is characterized by its constant probability density function over the interval \([a, b]\).
Step 2: Calculate the Mean
The mean \( E(X) \) of a uniform distribution is given by the formula:
\[
E(X) = \frac{a + b}{2} = \frac{13.0 + 17.0}{2} = 15.0
\]
Step 3: Calculate the Variance
The variance \( \text{Var}(X) \) of a uniform distribution is calculated using the formula:
\[
\text{Var}(X) = \frac{(b - a)^2}{12} = \frac{(17.0 - 13.0)^2}{12} = \frac{16.0}{12} = 1.3333
\]
Step 4: Calculate the Standard Deviation
The standard deviation \( \sigma(X) \) is the square root of the variance:
\[
\sigma(X) = \sqrt{\text{Var}(X)} = \sqrt{1.3333} \approx 1.1547
\]
Step 5: Calculate the Probability of Delivery After 4:00 p.m.
To find the probability of mail delivery after 4:00 p.m. (i.e., \( P(16.0 \leq X \leq 17.0) \)), we use the cumulative distribution function \( F(x; a, b) \):
\[
F(x; a, b) = \frac{x - a}{b - a}, \quad a \leq x \leq b
\]
Calculating \( F(17.0) \) and \( F(16.0) \):
\[
F(17.0) = \frac{17.0 - 13.0}{17.0 - 13.0} = 1.0
\]
\[
F(16.0) = \frac{16.0 - 13.0}{17.0 - 13.0} = \frac{3.0}{4.0} = 0.75
\]
Thus, the probability is:
\[
P(16.0 \leq X \leq 17.0) = F(17.0) - F(16.0) = 1.0 - 0.75 = 0.25
\]
Final Answer
The percentage of mail deliveries that are made after 4:00 p.m. is \( 25\% \). Therefore, the answer is
\[
\boxed{25\%}
\]