A coin is tossed three times. Let denote the number of times a tail follows a head. If and denote the mean and variance of , then the value of is:
Answer: 48
Step-by-step solution
Step 1: List Sample Space and Values of X
First, we list all possible outcomes when a coin is tossed three times. There are possible outcomes. For each outcome, we determine the value of , which is the number of times a tail follows a head (HT sequence).
Step 2: Determine Probability Distribution of X
From the sample space, we count the occurrences for each value of : (HHH), (HHT, THH, THT, TTH), (HTH, HTT), (none). Wait, let's re-evaluate the counts for X. HHH has 0 HT. HHT has 1 HT. HTH has 1 HT. THH has 0 HT. HTT has 1 HT. THT has 1 HT. TTH has 0 HT. TTT has 0 HT. So, for HHH, THH, TTH, TTT (4 outcomes). for HHT, HTH, HTT, THT (4 outcomes). and have 0 outcomes. This means the problem statement or my interpretation of 'tail follows a head' might be slightly off. Let's re-read carefully: 'number of times a tail follows a head'. Let's re-evaluate for each outcome: HHH: 0 (no HT) HHT: 1 (H_H_T) HTH: 1 (H_T_H) THH: 0 (no HT) HTT: 1 (H_T_T) THT: 1 (T_H_T) TTH: 0 (no HT) TTT: 0 (no HT) So, for HHH, THH, TTH, TTT (4 outcomes). for HHT, HTH, HTT, THT (4 outcomes). This means and . All other probabilities are 0. Let's correct the table.
Step 3: Calculate Mean (μ)
The mean, , also known as the expected value , is calculated by summing the product of each possible value of and its corresponding probability.
Step 4: Calculate Variance (σ²)
The variance, , is calculated using the formula . First, we find by summing the product of the square of each value and its probability. Then, we subtract the square of the mean.
Step 5: Calculate the Final Expression
Finally, we substitute the calculated values of the mean () and variance () into the given expression and simplify to find the final answer.
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