Question

The number of lightning strikes in a year at the top of a particular mountain has a poisson distribution with a mean of 3.8. find the probability that in a randomly selected year, the number of lightning strikes is 0.

Answer 1

Let X be the number of lightning strikes in a year at the top of particular mountain.

X follows Poisson distribution with mean μ = 3.8

We have to find here the probability that in randomly selected year the number of lightning strikes is 0

The Poisson probability is given by,

P(X=k) = $\frac{e^{-mean} mean^{x}}{x!}$

Here we have X=0, mean =3.8

Hence probability that X=0 is given by

P(X=0) = $\frac{e^{-3.8} 3.8^{0}}{0!}$

P(X=0) = $\frac{0.02237 * 1}{1}$

P(X=0) = 0.0224

The probability that in a randomly selected year, the number of lightning strikes is 0 is 0.0224