Question: On 100 different days, a traffic engineer counts the number of cars that pass through a certain intersection between 5 P.M. and 5:05 P.M. The

On 100 different days, a traffic engineer counts the number of cars that pass through a certain intersection between 5 P.M. and 5:05 P.M. The results are presented in the following table.
On 100 different days, a traffic engineer counts the number

a. Let X be the number of cars passing through the intersection between 5 P.M. and 5:05 P.M. on a randomly chosen day. Someone suggests that for any positive integer x, the probability mass function of X is p1(x) = (0.2) (0.8)x . Using this function, compute P(X = x) for values of x from 0 through 5 inclusive.
b. Someone else suggests that for any positive integer x, the probability mass function is p2(x) = (0.4)(0.6)x . Using this function, compute P(X = x) for values of x from 0 through 5 inclusive.
c. Compare the results of parts (a) and (b) to the data in the table. Which probability mass function appears to be the better model? Explain.
d. Someone says that neither of the functions is a good model since neither one agrees with the data exactly. Is this right? Explain.

Number of Cars 0 Number of Days 5 Proportion of Days 5 36 28 15 10 0.15 0.10 0.07 0.04

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