Estimating the Lifetime of a System

This applet estimates the lifetimes of four different systems. The systems contain components whose lifetimes are exponentially distributed.

How to use the applet

  1. Select one of the four system lifetimes by clicking on its picture in the list labeled "Select system." The equation for the system lifetime is displayed under the list.
  2. For each component of the system, a, b, c, d, enter its mean lifetime in the table. Note, these four cells act like a spreadsheet application; to change an entry, click on it, delete the current value, type a new one, and then press enter. The mean lifetimes must be positive.
  3. Choose the number of simulations to run by selecting eqn, eqn, or eqn, and click "Generate New Simulations & Plot."
  4. eqnsimulations are generated and a histogram of the system lifetimes is plotted.
  5. Click the button that reads "View Simulations" to view the simulated lifetimes of the components and the simulated system lifetimes.
  6. On the histogram, drag the sliders labeled a and b. In the table below the histogram, the probabilities eqn, eqn, and eqn are updated, where eqn is the system lifetime.

The applet

No Java Plug-in support for applet, see http://java.sun.com/products/plugin/