CAIE FP2 2013 November — Question 8

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleFP2 (Further Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2013
SessionNovember
TopicExponential Distribution
TypeEstimate parameter from data

8 The lifetime, in years, of an electrical component is the random variable \(T\), with probability density function f given by $$\mathrm { f } ( t ) = \begin{cases} A \mathrm { e } ^ { - \lambda t } & t \geqslant 0
0 & \text { otherwise } \end{cases}$$ where \(A\) and \(\lambda\) are positive constants.
  1. Show that \(A = \lambda\). It is known that out of 100 randomly chosen components, 16 failed within the first year.
  2. Find an estimate for the value of \(\lambda\), and hence find an estimate for the median value of \(T\).