A Student Must Pass Through Two Sets Of Traffic Lights On Hi

A Student Must Pass Through Two Sets Of Traffic Lights On His Way to U

A student must pass through two sets of traffic lights on his way to university each day. The first light is green 38% of the time, yellow 5% of the time, and red 57% of the time. The second light is green 45% of the time, yellow 9% of the time, and red 46% of the time. The two lights operate independently.

(a) On any given trip to university, what is the probability that both lights will be the same color when the student arrives at the intersections?

(b) What is the probability that the first light will be green or that the second light will be red?

(c) Let X be the number of times the student stops at a light on his way to school. (He will only stop if the light is red, and not if it is yellow.) Complete the probability distribution of X by filling in the appropriate probabilities below: X = 0, 1, 2.

Paper For Above instruction

The scenario involves understanding probabilities associated with traffic lights, modeled as independent events with specified probabilities for each color. We analyze three sub-questions focusing on joint probability, union probability, and binomial distribution.

Part (a): Probability Both Lights Are the Same Color

Given the probabilities:

- First light: Green (38%), Yellow (5%), Red (57%)

- Second light: Green (45%), Yellow (9%), Red (46%)

Since the lights are independent, the probability that both are the same color is computed by summing the probabilities that both are green, both are yellow, or both are red:

\[ P(\text{same color}) = P_{GG} + P_{YY} + P_{RR} \]

Where:

- \( P_{GG} = P_{\text{First Green}} \times P_{\text{Second Green}} = 0.38 \times 0.45 = 0.171 \)

- \( P_{YY} = 0.05 \times 0.09 = 0.0045 \)

- \( P_{RR} = 0.57 \times 0.46 = 0.2622 \)

Thus:

\[ P(\text{same color}) = 0.171 + 0.0045 + 0.2622 = 0.4377 \]

Part (b): Probability that the First Light is Green or the Second Light is Red

This involves the union of two events:

- Event A: First light is green \(\Rightarrow P_A = 0.38\)

- Event B: Second light is red \(\Rightarrow P_B = 0.46\)

Since the lights are independent:

\[ P(A \cup B) = P_A + P_B - P_A \times P_B \]

\[ P(A \cup B) = 0.38 + 0.46 - (0.38 \times 0.46) = 0.84 - 0.1748 = 0.6652 \]

Part (c): Distribution of the Number of Stops, X

The student stops only if the light is red; yellow does not cause stopping. Therefore:

- Probability of stopping at a light: \( P_{\text{red}} \) for each light, independent.

- Probability of not stopping (green): \( P_{\text{green}} \).

- Yellow is irrelevant to stopping behavior; the student does not stop at yellow lights.

For each light:

- \( P_{\text{stop at first light}} = P_{R1} = 0.57 \)

- \( P_{\text{stop at second light}} = P_{R2} = 0.46 \)

X can take values 0, 1, or 2:

- X=0: Student does not stop at either light:

\[ P(X=0) = (1 - P_{R1}) \times (1 - P_{R2}) = 0.43 \times 0.54 = 0.2322 \]

- X=1: Student stops at exactly one light. There are two cases:

1. Stops at first, not second:

\[ P = P_{R1} \times (1 - P_{R2}) = 0.57 \times 0.54 = 0.3078 \]

2. Not first, stops at second:

\[ P = (1 - P_{R1}) \times P_{R2} = 0.43 \times 0.46 = 0.1978 \]

Adding these:

\[ P(X=1) = 0.3078 + 0.1978 = 0.5056 \]

- X=2: Stops at both lights:

\[ P = P_{R1} \times P_{R2} = 0.57 \times 0.46 = 0.2622 \]

These probabilities sum to approximately 1, confirming correctness:

\[ 0.2322 + 0.5056 + 0.2622 = 1.000 \]

Thus, the complete probability distribution of X is:

| X | Probability |

|---|------------------|

| 0 | 0.2322 |

| 1 | 0.5056 |

| 2 | 0.2622 |

Conclusion:

This analysis demonstrates applying basic probability rules—independent events, union, and binomial distributions—to model real-world scenarios involving traffic signals. These calculations aid in understanding travel risks and planning strategies for commuters.

References

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