PROBABILITY: Distribution function

tamintl
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Homework Statement


A continuous random variable X has density f(x) = ax2(1- x) for 0 < x < 1, and
f(x) = 0 otherwise. Here a is a constant, to be determined. Find the distribution func-
tion FX, the constant a, the expectation E(X), the variance Var(X), and the conditional
probability p(X < 1/2 | X > 1/4)



Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


Really don't know where to start
 
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Start by using the fact that
\int_{-\infty}^\infty f(x)\,dx=1
to figure out a. Then use the standard formulas.
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
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