The number of weeds that remain living after a specific chemical has been applied averages 1.3 per square yard and follows a Poisson distribution. Based on this, what is the probability that a 3-square yard section will contain less than 4 weeds?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

This question asks for the probability that a Poisson process with a certain average yields fewer than 4 events in a 3-square-yard area. First, determine the Poisson parameter: the average per square yard is 1.3, so over 3 square yards the mean is λ = 3 × 1.3 = 3.9. The probability of having fewer than 4 weeds means P(X ≤ 3) for X ~ Poisson(3.9).

Option A: 0.6484
- This value would correspond to a much higher cumulative probability up to 3 for a smaller λ, or it could miscalculate the tail. For λ = 3.9, the correct cumulative near 0.45, not 0.65. This option overestimates P(X ≤ 3).

Option B: 0.4532
- This aligns with the manual calculation: P(X ≤ 3) = e^{-3.9} [1 + 3.9 + (3.9)^2/2! + (3.9)^3/3!]. Computing e^{-3.9} ≈ 0.02023, the terms are:
  - k=0: 0.02023
  - k=1: 0.02023 × 3.9 ≈ 0.07890
  - k=2: 0.02023 × (3.9)^2 / 2 ≈ 0.1531
  - k=3: 0.02023 × (3.9)^3 / 6 ≈ 0.1999
  Sum ≈ 0.02023 + 0.07890 + 0.1531 + 0.1999 ≈ 0.4521, which rounds to 0.4532. This option is consistent with the Poisson calculation.

Option C: 0.1952
- This would be far too small for P(X ≤ 3) when λ = 3.9. It would imply a much smaller cumulative probability up to 3, which does not match the Poisson sums for this λ.

Option D: 0.2001
- Similar to option C, this underestimates P(X ≤ 3) for λ = 3.9. The actual sum of the first four Poisson terms yields around 0.452, so 0.2001 is not correct.

To summarize the process: compute the mean for 3 square yards (λ = 3.9), then sum the Poisson probabilities for k = 0, 1, 2, 3. The result is approximately 0.452, which matches the 0.4532 option when rounded. The other options correspond to misapplied rounding, miscalculated terms, or misunderstanding of the cumulative probability for a Poisson distribution.

OSC 2030-009 Fall 2025 Exam 1

The number of weeds that remain living after a specific chemical has been applied averages 1.3 per square yard and follows a Poisson distribution. Based on this, what is the probability that a 3-square yard section will contain less than 4 weeds?

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