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Course: AP®︎/College Statistics > Unit 8

Lesson 7: The geometric distribution
Math
AP®︎/College Statistics
Random variables and probability distributions
The geometric distribution
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Cumulative geometric probability

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Problem

Jeremiah makes 25% of the three-point shots he attempts. For a warm up, Jeremiah likes to shoot three-point shots until he makes one. Let M be the number of shots it takes Jeremiah to make his first three-point shot. Assume that the results of each shot are independent.
Find the probability that it takes Jeremiah fewer than 4 attempts to make his first shot.
You may round your answer to the nearest hundredth.
P(M<4)=
  • Your answer should be
  • an integer, like 6
  • a simplified proper fraction, like 3/5
  • a simplified improper fraction, like 7/4
  • a mixed number, like 1 3/4
  • an exact decimal, like 0.75
  • a multiple of pi, like 12 pi or 2/3 pi