Explanation
This is a problem involving an exponential distribution. The probability density function is:
fX(x)=ke−0.0056xfor x≥0
Step 1: Find the constant k
For any probability density function, the total area under the curve must equal 1:
∫0∞ke−0.0056xdx=1
Solving the integral:
∫0∞ke−0.0056xdx=k[−0.0056e−0.0056x]0∞=k(0−−0.00561)=0.0056k
Setting this equal to 1:
0.0056k=1⇒k=0.0056
So the PDF is:
fX(x)=0.0056e−0.0056xfor x≥0
Step 2: Find the median
The median is the value m such that:
P(X≤m)=0.5
For the exponential distribution, the cumulative distribution function (CDF) is:
F(x)=P(X≤x)=1−e−λx
where λ=0.0056.
Setting F(m)=0.5:
‘1` - e^{-0.0056m} = 0.5
e^{-0.0056m} = 0.5
Takingnaturallogarithms:
-0.0056m = \ln(0.5)
-0.0056m = -\ln(2)
m = \frac{\ln(2)}{0.0056}
∗∗Step3:Calculatethevalue∗∗
\ln(2) \approx 0.693147
m = \frac{0.693147}{0.0056} \approx 123.776 \approx 124
Therefore, the median amount of the benefit is approximately 124, which corresponds to option C.
**Key Points:**
- This is an exponential distribution with rate parameter λ = 0.0056
- The median of an exponential distribution is $\frac{\ln(2)}{\lambda}$
- The constant k in the PDF is actually the rate parameter λ