Explain why each of the following measurements is or is not

Explain why each of the following measurements is or is not the result of a Bernoulli trial: (a) The number of surgical procedures performed in a hospital in a week (b) A hospital patient’s temperature in degrees Celsius (c) A hospital patient’s vital signs recorded as normal or not normal

Solution

(a) The number of surgical procedures performed in a hospital in a week

NOT A BERNOULLI TRIAL. A bernoulli trial must have just 2 possible outcomes, a success and a failure. However, this one can take integer values at least 0.

(b) A hospital patient’s temperature in degrees Celsius

NOT A BERNOULLI TRIAL. A bernoulli trial must have just 2 possible outcomes, a success and a failure. However, this one is a continuous random variable.

(c) A hospital patient’s vital signs recorded as normal or not normal

A BERNOULLI TRIAL. A bernoulli trial must have just 2 possible outcomes, a success and a failure. Here, you can treat \"normal\" as a success, and \"not normal\" as a failure.