2081

STA154 · TU past paper

Basic Statistics 2081 question paper

The complete TU 2081 exam paper for Basic Statistics (STA154), all 12 questions with solved model answers written to the mark scheme.

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  1. 110 marksNumericalComparison of consistency between datasetsAnswer

    Response Time Consistency Comparison

    A cloud service provider is evaluating the response times of two different server clusters over 10 requests. The company wants to compare the variability in response times between the two clusters. Here are the response times (in milliseconds) for the two clusters. Which cluster has more consistent response times?

    $$\begin{array}{|c|cccccccccc|}\hline \text{Cluster A} & 88 & 92 & 94 & 85 & 90 & 95 & 89 & 87 & 91 & 86 \ \hline \text{Cluster B} & 130 & 135 & 132 & 140 & 128 & 133 & 137 & 131 & 129 & 138 \ \hline \end{array}$$

    [10]

    Cluster A (ms): 88, 92, 94, 85, 90, 95, 89, 87, 91, 86 (n = 10) Cluster B (ms): 130, 135, 132, 140, 128, 133, 137, 131, 129, 138 (n = 10) Since the two clusters have very different means, the correct measure to compare consistency is the...

  2. 210 marksNumericalCentral moments and raw momentsAnswer

    Compute four central moments and hence find the mean, standard deviation, the measure of skewness, and the measure of kurtosis from central moments. Also, comment on the nature of the data. 120, 135, 150, 125, 140, 160, 170, 155, 165, 150 [10]

    Data values (n = 10): $$120,\ 135,\ 150,\ 125,\ 140,\ 160,\ 170,\ 155,\ 165,\ 150$$ $$\bar{x} = \frac{\sum xi}{n} = \frac{120+135+150+125+140+160+170+155+165+150}{10} = \frac{1470}{10} = 147$$ $xi$ $di$ $di^2$ $di^3$ $di^4$ -------------...

  3. 310 marksNumericalKarl Pearson correlation coefficientAnswer

    Question

    A software company tracks the number of hours its employees spend on coding (X) and the corresponding number of bugs they encounter during testing (Y).

    $$\begin{array}{|c|cccccccccc|}\hline \text{Hours (X)} & 20 & 25 & 30 & 35 & 40 & 45 & 50 & 55 & 60 & 65 \ \hline \text{Bugs (Y)} & 5 & 7 & 8 & 12 & 15 & 13 & 17 & 18 & 20 & 25 \ \hline \end{array}$$

    (a) Calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient.

    (b) Find the regression equation of Y on X.

    (c) Predict the number of bugs encountered if an employee spends 48 hours coding.

    [10+0]

    Model Answer: Correlation and Regression Analysis

    Given Data

    X20253035404550556065
    Y57812151317182025

    $n = 10$, predict Y at $X = 48$.

    Computation Table

    XYXYX²Y²
    20510040025
    25717562549
    30824090064
    35124201225144
    40156001600225
    45135852025169
    50178502500289
    55189903025324
    602012003600400
    652516254225625

    Totals:

    • $\sum X = 425$
    • $\sum Y = 140$
    • $\sum XY = 6785$
    • $\sum X^2 = 20125$
    • $\sum Y^2 = 2314$

    Verification of totals: $\sum Y^2 = 25+49+64+144+225+169+289+324+400+625 = 2314$ ✓

    (a) Pearson Correlation Coefficient

    $$r = \frac{n\sum XY - \sum X \sum Y}{\sqrt{[n\sum X^2 - (\sum X)^2][n\sum Y^2 - (\sum Y)^2]}}$$

    Numerator: $$10(6785) - 425(140) = 67850 - 59500 = 8350$$

    Denominator part 1: $$10(20125) - 425^2 = 201250 - 180625 = 20625$$

    Denominator part 2: $$10(2314) - 140^2 = 23140 - 19600 = 3540$$

    $$r = \frac{8350}{\sqrt{20625 \times 3540}} = \frac{8350}{\sqrt{73012500}} = \frac{8350}{8544.74} = 0.9772$$

    $$\boxed{r \approx 0.977}$$

    Watch the $X^2$ total: add the $X^2$ column carefully, since $\sum X^2 = 20125$ carries straight into $n\sum X^2 - (\sum X)^2 = 20625$ and into the product under the root, and a slip there changes $r$, $b$ and the prediction together.

    Interpretation: Strong positive correlation; as coding hours increase, bugs tend to increase.

    (b) Regression Equation of Y on X

    $$b = \frac{n\sum XY - \sum X \sum Y}{n\sum X^2 - (\sum X)^2} = \frac{8350}{20625} = 0.40485$$

    Means: $$\bar{X} = \frac{425}{10} = 42.5, \qquad \bar{Y} = \frac{140}{10} = 14$$

    Intercept: $$a = \bar{Y} - b\bar{X} = 14 - 0.40485(42.5) = 14 - 17.2061 = -3.2061$$

    $$\boxed{\hat{Y} = -3.2061 + 0.4048X}$$

    (c) Prediction for X = 48

    $$\hat{Y} = -3.2061 + 0.40485(48) = -3.2061 + 19.4328 = 16.2267$$

    $$\boxed{\hat{Y} \approx 16.23 \approx 16 \text{ bugs}}$$

    Conclusion: About 16 bugs are expected for 48 coding hours.

  4. 45 marksNumericalPie chartsAnswer

    In a survey of 50 IT students, the following programming languages were preferred: Python (20), Java (15), C++ (10), and JavaScript (5). Create a pie chart representing the preferences. [5]

    Total students surveyed = 50 Language Count ----------------- Python 20 Java 15 C++ 10 JavaScript 5 Check: $20 + 15 + 10 + 5 = 50$ ✓ The angle for each sector is computed as: $$\text{Angle} = \frac{\text{Count}}{\text{Total}} \times 360°...

  5. 55 marksNumericalPoisson distributionAnswer

    A server records the number of requests per minute, which follows a Poisson distribution with a mean of 5 requests per minute. (a) What is the probability that exactly 3 requests occur in a given minute? (b) What is the probability that more than 2 requests will occur? λ=5\lambda = 5λ=5[5]

    • Distribution: Poisson - Mean rate: $\lambda = 5$ requests per minute - Interval: 1 minute - (a) Find $P(X = 3)$ - (b) Find $P(X 2)$ Poisson formula: $$P(X = k) = \frac{e^{-\lambda}\lambda^k}{k!}, \quad \lambda = 5$$ Note:
  6. 65 marksNumericalConfidence interval for population proportAnswer

    A sample survey of 80 customers shows that 56 are satisfied with an IT service. Estimate the proportion of satisfied customers in the population with a 95% confidence interval. $n = 80, \quad x = 56$ [5]

    • Sample size: $n = 80$ - Number satisfied: $x = 56$ - Confidence level: $95%$, so $z{\alpha/2} = 1.96$ $$\hat{p} = \frac{x}{n} = \frac{56}{80} = 0.70$$ $$SE = \sqrt{\frac{\hat{p}(1-\hat{p})}{n}} = \sqrt{\frac{0.70 \times 0.30}{80}} = ...
  7. 75 marksNumericalConditional probability and Bayes theoremAnswer

    A database server has a 95% reliability rate. Even if the server does not fail, there is a 5% chance that it will still report an error. If the server reports an error, what is the probability that the server has actually failed? $P(\text{Failure}) = 0.05, \quad P(\text{False positive}) = 0.05$ [5]

    • Server reliability = 95%, hence probability of failure: $$P(F) = 0.05$$ - Probability of no failure: $$P(\bar{F}) = 1 - 0.05 = 0.95$$ - False positive rate (error reported even though no failure): $$P(E \mid \bar{F}) = 0.05$$ - Assumpt...
  8. 85 marksNumericalStandard normal distribution and Z-scoresAnswer

    The resolution time for customer support queries follows a normal distribution with mean 30 minutes and standard deviation 5 minutes. (a) What percentage of queries are resolved in less than 25 minutes? (b) What percentage are resolved between 25 and 35 minutes? μ=30,σ=5\mu = 30, \quad \sigma = 5μ=30,σ=5[5]

    • Mean: $\mu = 30$ minutes - Standard deviation: $\sigma = 5$ minutes - Distribution: Normal, $X \sim N(30, 5^2)$ --- Standardize using $Z = \dfrac{X - \mu}{\sigma}$: $$Z = \frac{25 - 30}{5} = \frac{-5}{5} = -1$$ Look up the cumulative p...
  9. 95 marksNumericalFive number summaryAnswer

    The time taken (in seconds) to complete a file transfer operation is recorded for 11 sessions. Calculate the five-number summary and construct a box plot. 100, 120, 110, 115, 130, 105, 125, 122, 112, 108, 135 [5]

    Transfer times (seconds), $n = 11$: $$100, 120, 110, 115, 130, 105, 125, 122, 112, 108, 135$$ $$100,\ 105,\ 108,\ 110,\ 112,\ 115,\ 120,\ 122,\ 125,\ 130,\ 135$$ - Min = $100$ - Max = $135$ With $n = 11$, position $= \frac{n+1}{2} = 6$th...

  10. 105 marksNumericalExpected value and decision makingAnswer

    A tech support team handles the following number of customer queries (X) per hour along with their probabilities. Find the expected number and variance of queries handled per hour.

    $$\begin{array}{|c|ccccc|}\hline X & 0 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 \ \hline P(X) & 0.10 & 0.20 & 0.30 & 0.25 & 0.15 \ \hline \end{array}$$

    [5]

    Model Answer: Expected Value and Variance of Customer Queries

    Given Data

    X01234
    P(X)0.100.200.300.250.15

    Check: $\sum P(X) = 0.10 + 0.20 + 0.30 + 0.25 + 0.15 = 1.00$ ✓ (valid distribution)


    Part 1: Expected Value $E(X)$

    $$E(X) = \sum X \cdot P(X)$$

    XP(X)X·P(X)
    00.100.00
    10.200.20
    20.300.60
    30.250.75
    40.150.60

    $$E(X) = 0 + 0.20 + 0.60 + 0.75 + 0.60 = 2.15 \text{ queries/hour}$$


    Part 2: Variance $\text{Var}(X)$

    $$\text{Var}(X) = E(X^2) - [E(X)]^2$$

    Step 1: Compute $E(X^2)$

    XX²P(X)X²·P(X)
    000.100.00
    110.200.20
    240.301.20
    390.252.25
    4160.152.40

    $$E(X^2) = 0 + 0.20 + 1.20 + 2.25 + 2.40 = 6.05$$

    Step 2: $[E(X)]^2 = (2.15)^2 = 4.6225$

    Step 3:

    $$\text{Var}(X) = 6.05 - 4.6225 = 1.4275$$

    Standard deviation (optional): $\sigma = \sqrt{1.4275} \approx 1.195$


    Final Answer

    • Expected number of queries per hour: $E(X) = 2.15$
    • Variance: $\text{Var}(X) = 1.4275 \approx 1.43$
  11. 115 marksDefinition and role of statistics in ITAnswer

    Discuss the importance of statistics in the field of information technology. [5]

    Statistics plays a crucial role in the field of Information Technology by providing methods to collect, analyze, and interpret data. It enables IT professionals to make informed decisions and optimize system performance. - Statistics ena...

  12. 125 marksSampling error and non-sampling errorAnswer

    Write a short note on: (a) Sampling Error (b) Stratified sampling. [5]

    Definition: Sampling error is the difference between a statistic (calculated from a sample) and the corresponding parameter (true value from the population). It occurs because a sample does not perfectly represent the entire population. ...