[Math] A Monkey is typing on a 3-letter keyboard

probability

A monkey is sitting at a simplied keyboard that only includes the keys
a, b, and c. The monkey presses the keys at random. Let X be the number of keys pressed until the monkey has pressed all the different keys at least once. For example, if the monkey typed accaacbcaaac. . . " then X would equal 7 whereas if the monkey typed cbaccaabbcab. . . " then X would equal 3.

3.1 What's the probability X = 3?

I got 1/6th for this one. 1/3!

3.2 How many sequences are there of length nine that use at most two of the dierent keys?
Hint: Be careful you don't double count!

3.3 What's the probability X >= 10?

3.4 Prove that for any random variable Z taking values in the range (1,2,3..) E(Z) =
sum of (i=1) P(Z >= i).

3.5 (2 points): What's the expected value of X?

Trying to figure the other parts

Best Answer

Correction for 3.1: The possible "words" of three letters (denominator) are more than $3!$. The number $3!$ is the number of favourable words, i.e. words that have 3 different letters in the three first places! In order to count the possible words, think that you can have $3$ letters in the first place, three in the second and three in the third. Therefore the result for 3.1 should be $$\frac{3!}{3^3}=\frac{2}{9}$$