Tolerance intervals for discrete variables are widely used, especially in industrial applications. However, there is no thorough treatment of tolerance intervals when sampling without replacement.

So, a friend of mine was bored one day and came up with this problem on his own (it related closely to some personal circumstances of his own). It intrigued me, but I have not been able to solve it.

DR. W. N. BAILEY, Richardson lecturer in pure mathematics in the University of Manchester, has been appointed to the University chair of mathematics at Bedford College, London. He is perhaps best ...