Suppose the number of babies born during an 8-hour shift at a hospital's maternity wing follows a Poisson distribution with a mean of 3 an hour. Some people believe that the presence of a full moon increases the number of births that take place. Suppose during the presence of a full moon, County Hospital experienced eight consecutive hours with more than four births. Based on this fact, comment on the belief that the full moon increases the number of births.
A) The belief is not supported as the probability of observing this many births is 0.00000137.
B) The belief is not supported as the probability of observing this many births is 0.185.
C) The belief is supported as the probability of observing this many births would be 0.00000137.
D) The belief is supported as the probability of observing this many births would be 0.185.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The belief is supported because the probability of observing more than four births in an 8-hour period under normal conditions (mean = 3 births/hour) is very low, making the observed increase during a full moon statistically significant and supportive of the belief.

Suppose the Number of Babies Born During an 8-Hour Shift