Question

How would I solve this? My course lesson was very vague and didn't help. I've been working so hard and I've gotten nowhere.

"A nuclear reactor facility has two separate safety systems in place to prevent a nuclear meltdown. They prevent a meltdown by shutting down the reactor when the temperature reaches the danger level. The first system shuts down the reactor 80% of the time when the danger level is reached. The second system (which is completely separate from the first) shuts down the reactor 90% of the time when the danger level is reached.

a. Use your calculator to do 10 repetitions with the first system alone. Theoretically, it should successfully shut it down 16 out of 20 times.
b. Use your calculator to do 10 repetitions with the second system alone. Theoretically, it should successfully shut it down 18 out of 20 times.
c. Use your calculator to do 20 repetitions with the first and second systems working together. The reactor will successfully shut down if one or both systems are not working. "

I know you have to use randInt on the calculator but I unfortunately don't have access to a calculator

Answer 1

If you don't have a calculator, just use google. Type in "random number generator". The google search should give you a "min" and a "max"

a) Use min: 1 and max: 100

Do 10 reps, any number that is 1-80 counts as a shutdown.

Theoretically, you should get about 8 out of 10 shutdowns.

b) Use min:1 and max: 100 again

Do 10 reps, any number between 1-90 counts as a shutdown.

Theoretically, you should get about 9 out of 10 shutdowns.

c) Now do 20 more reps , 10 reps for the 1-80 one and 10 reps for 1-90 one.

If any one of them triggers, it counts as a shutdown.

For example, if I got 14, 92. This counts as a shutdown because 14 is within 1-80. It did not matter that 92 isn't within 1-90.

If I got 44, 68. This counts as a shutdown because 44 is within 1-80 and 68 is within 1-90.

If I got 81, 99. This does not count as a shutdown because 81 is not within 1-80 and 99 is not within 1-90.

Theoretically, you should get a shutdown 95% of the time in c)

Hopefully that helps!