ECSE-2500 Engineering Probability, RPI, Spring 2011 Home Page

Homework 2, due 2pm Tues Feb 8, 2011

Notes

1. Email your solutions to

wrfranklin+homeworkATgmail.com , replacing AT with @.

1. You may do this homework in teams of two people.
2. Put the homework number, your names and RCS-IDs on the homework. (E.g. I would say something like Homework 2, W. Randolph Franklin, frankwr.)

Questions

1. (4 pts) Do exercise 1.8, page 19.
2. (8 pts) Do exercise 2.2, page 81.
3. (6 pts) Do exercise 2.4, page 81.
4. (8 pts) Do exercise 2.6, page 82.
5. (6 pts) Do exercise 2.11, page 84.
6. (6 pts) Do exercise 2.15, page 84.
7. (6 pts) Do exercise 2.35(a), page 85.
8. (6 pts) Do exercise 2.39, page 86. Ignore any mechanical limitations of combo locks,
   (Aside: About 25 years ago, RPI rekeyed the whole campus with a more secure lock. Shortly thereafter a memo was distributed that I would summarize as, "OK, you can, but don't you dare!")
9. (6 pts) Do exercise 2.59, page 87. However, make it 35 students and 5 on each day of the week. Assume that there is no relation between birthday and day of the week.
10. (6 pts) Find a current policy issue where you think that probabilities are being misused, and say why, in 100 words. Full points will be awarded for a logical argument. I don't care what the issue is, or which side you take. Try not to pick something too too inflammatory; follow the Page 1 rule that an NSF lawyer taught me when I was there. (Would you be willing to see your answer on page 1 of tomorrow's paper?)