Piecewise linear probability density on a bounded interval: normalising height and vertex from a given expected value

Piecewise linear probability density on a bounded interval: normalising height and vertex from a given expected value

6 marks

A continuous random variable \(Y\) takes values between \(0\) and \(4\). Its probability density function \(\mathrm{g}\) is

\(\mathrm{g}(y)=\begin{cases}\dfrac{m}{k}y, & 0\leq y\leq k,\\ \dfrac{m}{k-4}(y-4), & k<y\leq4,\\ 0, & \text{otherwise},\end{cases}\)

where \(k\) and \(m\) are constants with \(0<k<4\) and \(m>0\). The graph of \(\mathrm{g}\) is shown below.

  1. Show that \(m=0.5\).[2]

The expected value of \(Y\) is \(2.2\).

  1. Find the value of \(k\).[4]

Solution:

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Answer:(a) \(m=0.5\) (shown) (b) \(k=2.6\)

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