The times that a cashier spends processing each

Shaylee House

Shaylee House

Answered question

2022-04-09

The times that a cashier spends processing each person’s transaction are independent and identically distributed random variables with a mean of µ and a variance of σ2. Thus, if Xi is the processing time for each transaction, E(Xi)=μ and Var(Xi)=σ2. Let Y be the total processing time for 100 orders: Y=X1+X2++X100
a) What is the approximate probability distribution of Y, the total processing time of 100 orders?
b) Suppose for ZN(0, 1), a standard normal random variable: P(a<Z<b)=100(1α)%. Using your distribution from part (a), show that an approximate 100(1α)% confidence interval for the unknown population mean μ is: (Y10bσ100)<μ<(Y10aσ100)
I have done part (a) and ended up with YN(100μ, σ2)using the central limit theorem, but I am unsure of where to start in part (b).

Answer & Explanation

xxkrnjangxxed9q

xxkrnjangxxed9q

Beginner2022-04-10Added 14 answers

Step 1
The goal of the exercise to illustrate that you may derive a confidence interval that might not be the standard symmetric one (the usual conventional one that uses x as a pivot).
So starting with some a and b such that P(a<Z<b)=(1α), we can write
(1α)=P(a<Z<b)
=P(a<Y100μ10σ<b)
=P(10aσ<Y100μ<10bσ)
=P(Y+10aσ<100μ<Y+10bσ)
=P(Y10aσ100>μ>Y10bσ100)
=P(Y10bσ100<μ<Y10aσ100)
As stated at the beginning, this is a general confidence interval not necessarily symmetric. IF one takes a=Φ1(α2) and b=Φ1(1α2), one gets the standard/conventional symmetric confidence interval. But the point is, if the only requirement is the interval having probability (1α) without requiring symmetry, then there are infinitely many such intervals possible.
stecchiniror7

stecchiniror7

Beginner2022-04-11Added 14 answers

Step 1
If X1,X1,,X100 are a random sample from a distribution with mean μ and variance σ2, then T=1=1100 as you say, and (by independence) V(T)=100σ2,. Hence, SD(X)=σ100,, where X=Tn=T100.
By the Central Limit Theorem, Z=Xμσ100 should have nearly a standard normal distribution, as you say. Thus, one has
0.95P(1.96<Z<1.96)=
P(1.96<Xμσ100<1.96)
=P(X1.96σ100,<μ<X+1.96σ100),
where the last inequality is found my manipulating the event in the penultimate term to isolate μ as in the last term. The last term is the basis for saying that X±1.96σ100 is an approximate 95% confidence interval for μ. [I believe you may have mis-copied the last formula in part(b), and I hope the specific case for α=0.05 helps you put it right and to see how to derive the correct CI.]

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