Historical data show that the average number of patient arrivals at the intensive care unit of General Hospital is 3 patients every 2 hours.Assume that the patient arrivals are distributed according to Poisson distribution.Determine the probability of at least 4 but no more than 8 patients arriving in a three-hour period.
A).3813
B).5711
C).4276
D).7861
E).6174

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The average rate of arrival is 4.5 patients in 3 hours (since 3 patients in 2 hours translates to 4.5 in 3 hours). Using the Poisson distribution formula, calculate the probabilities for 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 arrivals and sum them to find the probability of at least 4 but no more than 8 arrivals.

Historical Data Show That the Average Number of Patient Arrivals