Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
The receiver makes a decoding error only if three bits or two bits of a 3-bit string are sent wrongly.
Let's call
p = probability that one bit was sent incorrectly.
Since <em>bit errors occur random and independently</em> of each other, the probability that 3 bits are sent incorrectly is
Similarly, the probability that 2 bits are sent incorrectly is
The probability that 3 or 2 bits are sent incorrectly is
So, all we have to do now is compute p.
Let x be the number of bits incorrectly transmitted per unit of time.
Since the channel operates at 3 Mbps (3,000,000 bits per second) and has a bit error rate of 0.001, then
and
x = 3000
This means that for every 3 million bits transmitted, 3000 are wrong.
So, the probability p that one bit is incorrect when transmitted is
(<em>Remark:</em> When the probability is measured as a number between 0 and 1, it can be shown that the bit error rate and the probability of sending one bit incorrectly are the same)
Hence the probability that the receiver makes a decoding error is
or in % notation