University of Moratuwa

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Electronic & Telecommunication Engineering
B.Sc. Eng., Level 3 Semester 1, 2010/2011
EN3510 Communications
Assignment 1: Probability and Random Variables
______________________________________________________________________
Q1. The cumulative distribution function FY(y) of a continuous random variable Y is
sketched in Figure Q1.
F ( y)
(a) Write an expression  Y
for FY(y)
(b) Find an expression 
for and sketch the
pdf of Y. 
(c) Find the following
y
probabilities
  
(i) P{Y1} Figure Q1

(ii) P{2 < Y  5}

Q2. Given the joint pdf of X and Y

 x  y, 0  x  1, 0  y  1
f XY ( x, y )  
 0, otherwise
(a) Find the probability density functions (marginal densities) of X and Y
(b) Find the conditional pdf f X ? Y ( x / y) .
(c) Find FXY ( x, y)
(d) Find EXY 
(e) Find cov(X,Y) and XY
(f) Find whether X and Y are
(i) Independent
(ii) Uncorrelated
(iii) Orthogonal.
Justify your answers.
Q3.
Over a period of 12 hours, 225 calls are made at random. Answer the following questions.
(a) (i) What is the probability density function that is most suitable to model
the arrival of calls in this situation? Give reasons for your answer.
(ii) What is the probability that a particular call may be made in a 4-hour
interval? Give reasons for your answer.

(b) (i) The number of calls within a 4-hour interval may be modeled as an
appropriate Bionomial random variable. Write an expression for the
probability that k calls will be made in a 4-hour interval.
(ii) The De Moivre-Laplace theorem states that if k1 and k2 are in the
neighbourhood of np, i.e., around the interval

where n, p,q have the usual meanings in relation to the Binomial

distribution.
Find the probability that there are between 70 and 80 calls within a 4-hour
interval.

Q4.
(a) Random variables X and Y are uniformly distributed in the triangular region
Find , the joint probability density function of X and Y.

(b) Consider the random variables and . The joint density of Z and W
may be found as:

where the symbols have their usual meaning.

(i) Find
(ii) Show that the probability density function of Z,
(iii) Find the p.d.f. of W.