MHB Probability Distribution Problem

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on determining the appropriate probability distribution for modeling car traffic at an intersection. Participants clarify that the rate should be interpreted as 30 cars per hour rather than miles per hour, emphasizing that speed is not relevant for this probability question. Given this rate, it is suggested that a Poisson distribution is suitable for calculating the probability of no cars passing in a three-minute interval. The average time between cars is noted as two minutes, which supports the use of the Poisson model. The conversation highlights the importance of accurately interpreting the given data for proper statistical analysis.
joypav
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Suppose that cars pass a certain intersection at a rate of 30 miles per hour. What is the probability that during a three-minute interval, no cars will pass the intersection?

I am really just wondering which distribution to use. I thought is should be Poisson because it is asking for events occurring during a certain time period. But it doesn't say how many cars pass the intersection on average?
 
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joypav said:
Suppose that cars pass a certain intersection at a rate of 30 miles per hour. What is the probability that during a three-minute interval, no cars will pass the intersection?

I am really just wondering which distribution to use. I thought is should be Poisson because it is asking for events occurring during a certain time period. But it doesn't say how many cars pass the intersection on average?
I think you mean 30 cars per hour, not 30 miles per hour. The speed at which the cars pass does not seem to be relevant.

If it's 30 cars per hour, then on average a car passes every 2 minutes. You should be able to use this to construct a Poisson distribution to model the flow of traffic.
 
My review definitely says miles per hour. I was thinking it may be a typo too, but wanted to make sure I wasn't just misunderstanding. Thank you
 
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