Suppose the number of babies born during an 8-hour shift at a hospitalʹs maternity wing follows a Poissondistribution with a mean of 2 an hour. Some people believe that the presence of a full moon increases thenumber of births that take place. Suppose during the presence of a full moon, County Hospital experiencedeight consecutive hours with more than three births. Based on this fact, comment on the belief that the fullmoon increases the number of births.
A) The belief is supported as the probability of observing this many births would be 0.000000175.
B) The belief is not supported as the probability of observing this many births is 0.143.
C) The belief is supported as the probability of observing this many births would be 0.143.
D) The belief is not supported as the probability of observing this many births is 0.000000175.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The probability of observing more than three births in an hour when the mean is 2 is very low. Observing this over eight consecutive hours (as implied by the question) would be even less likely, supporting the belief that an external factor (like a full moon) could influence birth rates.

Suppose the Number of Babies Born During an 8-Hour Shift