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GATE 2016 ME (ME1) – Question 14

Engineering Mathematics · Probability and Statistics: Mean, median, mode, standard deviation, random variables and distributions · 1 mark · Multiple choice

Consider a Poisson distribution for the tossing of a biased coin. The mean for this distribution is µ. The standard deviation for this distribution is given by

  1. $\sqrt\mu$
  2. $\mu^2$
  3. $\mu$
  4. $1/\mu$

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (A) $\sqrt\mu$

Explanation

For the assumed Poisson distribution, mean and variance are both μ. Standard deviation is the square root of variance, hence **sqrtμ, A**. An exact fixed-number coin-toss count would instead be binomial; the stated Poisson model determines this answer.