Slide 5 of 14
Notes:
The binomial distribution method can be used to determine the probability that a sample taken from a source area will be above a target level. The distribution is based on a Bernoulli Sequence which assumes that each trial has only two possible outcomes: occurrence or non-occurrence. A sample taken from a source area will either be above or below a target level. It also assumes that the probability of occurrence in each trial is constant and that the trials are statistically independent. If the source area is small and of a fairly constant composition, these latter assumptions are valid. However, these assumptions would not work if you were looking at the entire refinery. The probability of s successes (the # of measurements above a target level) in n trials is governed by this formula.
