What is the expected profit for a car rental insurance company?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the expected profit for a car rental insurance company based on a defined probability mass function for payouts. The expected value E(X) is calculated using the probabilities of different payout amounts, resulting in an expected payout of $120. With a premium of $180 for a 10-day policy, the expected profit is determined to be $60. Participants express uncertainty about specific calculations but confirm the methodology. The conversation emphasizes the importance of accurate calculations in determining profitability for insurance policies.
Mark53
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Homework Statement


(4) (a) Let X be a random variable defined by the probability mass function P(X = x). The possible values X can take (denoted x) and the probability of those values occurring P(X = x) can be seen below

x 0 1000 2000 5000
P(X = x) 0.94 0.03 0.02 0.01

Find E(X).

(b) An insurance company offers extra insurance for car rentals to cover incidental damage, such as windscreens and tyres not covered by the primary insurance, and also the excess charged by the primary insurance in case of an accident. Let X be the amount paid out by the company on a randomly chosen policy of duration 10 days and suppose X follows the probability distribution in (a) above. If the premium charged for the policy is $180.00, what is the expected profit to the company for a single policy with a duration of 10 days?

The Attempt at a Solution



a) E(x)=1000x0.003+2000x0.003+5000x0.01
E(x)=120

b)
would this just be

180-120=$60

I am unsure about this part
 
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Mark53 said:
2000x0.003
Check that again.
Mark53 said:
would this just be
It would be, given the right number from a).
 
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haruspex said:
Check that again.

It would be, given the right number from a).
Thanks
 
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