2. Suppose alpha particle emissions of carbon-14 are counted by a Geiger counter each second. The emissions follow a Poisson process with the mean of 16 particles per second. Let W equal the time in seconds before the seventh particle is counted. a) Give the distribution of W. b) Find P(W ≤ 0.5).

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**Problem Statement:**

2. Suppose alpha particle emissions of carbon-14 are counted by a Geiger counter each second. The emissions follow a Poisson process with a mean of 16 particles per second. Let \( W \) equal the time in seconds before the seventh particle is counted.

   a) Give the distribution of \( W \).

   b) Find \( P(W \leq 0.5) \).

**Explanation:**

- The problem refers to a scenario where alpha particles emitted from carbon-14 are detected by a Geiger counter. 
- The emissions are modeled as a Poisson process.
- The Poisson process has a mean (or rate) of 16 particles per second.
- \( W \) is the random variable representing the time until the seventh particle is observed.

**Distribution of \( W \):**

- Since \( W \) is defined as the waiting time for the seventh occurrence in a Poisson process, \( W \) follows a Gamma distribution.
- Specifically, \( W \) has a Gamma distribution with shape parameter \( k = 7 \) and rate parameter \(\lambda = 16\).

**Finding \( P(W \leq 0.5) \):**

- This requires calculating the probability that the waiting time \( W \) is less than or equal to 0.5 seconds using the derived Gamma distribution parameters.
Transcribed Image Text:**Problem Statement:** 2. Suppose alpha particle emissions of carbon-14 are counted by a Geiger counter each second. The emissions follow a Poisson process with a mean of 16 particles per second. Let \( W \) equal the time in seconds before the seventh particle is counted. a) Give the distribution of \( W \). b) Find \( P(W \leq 0.5) \). **Explanation:** - The problem refers to a scenario where alpha particles emitted from carbon-14 are detected by a Geiger counter. - The emissions are modeled as a Poisson process. - The Poisson process has a mean (or rate) of 16 particles per second. - \( W \) is the random variable representing the time until the seventh particle is observed. **Distribution of \( W \):** - Since \( W \) is defined as the waiting time for the seventh occurrence in a Poisson process, \( W \) follows a Gamma distribution. - Specifically, \( W \) has a Gamma distribution with shape parameter \( k = 7 \) and rate parameter \(\lambda = 16\). **Finding \( P(W \leq 0.5) \):** - This requires calculating the probability that the waiting time \( W \) is less than or equal to 0.5 seconds using the derived Gamma distribution parameters.
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