5. Accidents on a certain stretch of I-10 occur according to a Poisson process with an average of 3 every 2 hours. Find the probability that more than one accident occur during a particular 1-hour period."

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**Problem Statement:**

Accidents on a certain stretch of I-10 occur according to a Poisson process with an average of 3 every 2 hours. Find the probability that more than one accident occurs during a particular 1-hour period.

**Explanation:**

This problem involves understanding and applying the Poisson distribution, which is commonly used to model the number of events occurring within a fixed interval of time or space. The key elements of this problem are:

- **Average Rate of Occurrence (λ):** Accidents occur with an average of 3 every 2 hours.
- **Adjusted Rate for 1 Hour:** Since we need to find the probability for a 1-hour period, we adjust the rate to 1.5 accidents per hour (half of 3).
- **Objective:** Calculate the probability of more than one accident in 1 hour using the adjusted rate.

**Steps to Solve:**

To solve, you can use the formula for the Poisson probability mass function (PMF):

\[ P(X = k) = \frac{e^{-\lambda} \cdot \lambda^k}{k!} \]

where:
- \( X \) is a random variable representing the number of accidents.
- \( \lambda \) is the average rate of occurrence (1.5 in this case).
- \( k \) is the number of occurrences (number of accidents).

For more than one accident (i.e., \( P(X > 1) \)), calculate:

\[ P(X > 1) = 1 - (P(X = 0) + P(X = 1)) \]

1. **Calculate \( P(X = 0) \):**

\[ P(X = 0) = \frac{e^{-1.5} \cdot 1.5^0}{0!} = e^{-1.5} \]

2. **Calculate \( P(X = 1) \):**

\[ P(X = 1) = \frac{e^{-1.5} \cdot 1.5^1}{1!} = 1.5 \cdot e^{-1.5} \]

3. **Calculate \( P(X > 1) \):**

\[ P(X > 1) = 1 - (P(X = 0) + P(X = 1)) = 1 - (e^{-1.5} + 1.5
Transcribed Image Text:**Problem Statement:** Accidents on a certain stretch of I-10 occur according to a Poisson process with an average of 3 every 2 hours. Find the probability that more than one accident occurs during a particular 1-hour period. **Explanation:** This problem involves understanding and applying the Poisson distribution, which is commonly used to model the number of events occurring within a fixed interval of time or space. The key elements of this problem are: - **Average Rate of Occurrence (λ):** Accidents occur with an average of 3 every 2 hours. - **Adjusted Rate for 1 Hour:** Since we need to find the probability for a 1-hour period, we adjust the rate to 1.5 accidents per hour (half of 3). - **Objective:** Calculate the probability of more than one accident in 1 hour using the adjusted rate. **Steps to Solve:** To solve, you can use the formula for the Poisson probability mass function (PMF): \[ P(X = k) = \frac{e^{-\lambda} \cdot \lambda^k}{k!} \] where: - \( X \) is a random variable representing the number of accidents. - \( \lambda \) is the average rate of occurrence (1.5 in this case). - \( k \) is the number of occurrences (number of accidents). For more than one accident (i.e., \( P(X > 1) \)), calculate: \[ P(X > 1) = 1 - (P(X = 0) + P(X = 1)) \] 1. **Calculate \( P(X = 0) \):** \[ P(X = 0) = \frac{e^{-1.5} \cdot 1.5^0}{0!} = e^{-1.5} \] 2. **Calculate \( P(X = 1) \):** \[ P(X = 1) = \frac{e^{-1.5} \cdot 1.5^1}{1!} = 1.5 \cdot e^{-1.5} \] 3. **Calculate \( P(X > 1) \):** \[ P(X > 1) = 1 - (P(X = 0) + P(X = 1)) = 1 - (e^{-1.5} + 1.5
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