A data center records whether Server \(S_1\) and Server \(S_2\) experience any downtime on each of \(20\) days. An “X” means that the server had at least one outage that day.
<table> <tr><td>Day</td><td>\(1\)</td><td>\(2\)</td><td>\(3\)</td><td>\(4\)</td><td>\(5\)</td><td>\(6\)</td><td>\(7\)</td><td>\(8\)</td><td>\(9\)</td><td>\(10\)</td></tr> <tr><td>\(D_1\)</td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td></td><td>X</td></tr> <tr><td>\(D_2\)</td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr> </table>
<br> <table> <tr><td>Day</td><td>\(11\)</td><td>\(12\)</td><td>\(13\)</td><td>\(14\)</td><td>\(15\)</td><td>\(16\)</td><td>\(17\)</td><td>\(18\)</td><td>\(19\)</td><td>\(20\)</td></tr> <tr><td>\(D_1\)</td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td></td><td>X</td></tr> <tr><td>\(D_2\)</td><td></td><td>X</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>X</td><td>X</td><td>X</td><td></td></tr> </table>
Network maintenance (event \(M\)) occurred on days \(2,3,7,8,12\).
a) Use relative frequencies to determine whether \(D_1\) and \(D_2\) are independent.
b) Determine whether outages on Server \(S_1\) are independent of network maintenance. Interpret the result in context.
Hints
- Count the days on which each event occurs, then divide by \(20\).
- Count the days on which both events occur.
- Independence requires the joint relative frequency to equal the product of the two marginal relative frequencies.
- For part b, compare the outage rate on maintenance days with the overall outage rate.
Solution
1. Server \(S_1\) had outages on \(8\) of the \(20\) days, so \(P(D_1)=\frac{8}{20}=0.40\). Server \(S_2\) had outages on \(6\) days, so \(P(D_2)=\frac{6}{20}=0.30\).
2. Both servers had outages on days \(2,7,12,17\), so \(P(D_1\cap D_2)=\frac{4}{20}=0.20\).
3. Since \(P(D_1)P(D_2)=0.40\cdot 0.30=0.12\neq 0.20\), the outage events are dependent in these observations.
4. Maintenance occurred on \(5\) days, so \(P(M)=\frac{5}{20}=0.25\). Server \(S_1\) had an outage on three maintenance days: \(2,7,12\). Thus, \(P(D_1\cap M)=\frac{3}{20}=0.15\).
5. Since \(P(D_1)P(M)=0.40\cdot 0.25=0.10\neq 0.15\), outages on \(S_1\) and maintenance are dependent in these observations.
6. Also, \(P(D_1\mid M)=\frac{3}{5}=0.60\), which is greater than the overall outage rate of \(0.40\). This shows an association, not necessarily that maintenance caused the outages.
Answer
a) \(P(D_1)=0.40\), \(P(D_2)=0.30\), and \(P(D_1\cap D_2)=0.20\). Because \(0.20\neq 0.40\cdot 0.30\), the events are dependent.
b) \(P(M)=0.25\) and \(P(D_1\cap M)=0.15\). Because \(0.15\neq 0.40\cdot 0.25\), the events are dependent. The observed outage rate for \(S_1\) was higher on maintenance days, but this does not by itself prove causation.