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Random Variables and Probability Distributions Topic 2

The document discusses probability distributions of discrete random variables, defining them as distributions that assign probabilities to each possible value of a random variable. It provides examples of discrete and continuous random variables and walks through determining the probability distribution for a random variable representing the number of tails when tossing two coins. The probability distribution must have probabilities between 0 and 1 that sum to 1.

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218 views2 pages

Random Variables and Probability Distributions Topic 2

The document discusses probability distributions of discrete random variables, defining them as distributions that assign probabilities to each possible value of a random variable. It provides examples of discrete and continuous random variables and walks through determining the probability distribution for a random variable representing the number of tails when tossing two coins. The probability distribution must have probabilities between 0 and 1 that sum to 1.

Uploaded by

Lhyn Déê
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic 2: Random Variables and Probability Distributions

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 find the values of a random variable and


 illustrate a probability distribution for a discrete random variable and its properties.

Before you proceed with this lesson, you should be able to recall random variables.

 In conducting an experiment, each possible result is called an outcome and listing all of the possible
results make up the sample space.
 There are two types of random variables, discrete and continuous. Discrete random variables assume a
countable number (integer) of values while continuous random variables assume an uncountable one
(arises from measurement).

Examples:

Discrete Random Variable

 A die is rolled and the score shown on the top face is observed. The random variable x is the score
shown. x could take on the values from 1 to 6, which are the numbers that the die shows.

Continuous Random Variable

 Let the lifetime of a cell phone battery be a random variable. If measured perfectly with decimals and no
rounding off, the random variable can take on different values.

Consider the experiment of tossing two coins. Let the random variable x be the number of tails observed upon
tossing the two coins at the same time. Determine the probability of the random variable x and construct its
probability distribution.

Probability Distribution of a Discrete Random Variable


 A probability distribution is a distribution of the probabilities associated with the values of a random
variable.
 Note that in a probability distribution, it must exhibit the two properties of probability.
 The probability P(x) for a random variable must be between zero and one, that is, 0≤P(x)≤1. This means
that the probability must not exceed one or have a negative value.
 The sum of the probabilities of the random variables in an experiment should be equal to one, that is,

 where:

xi is the ith random variable in the experiment;


i is an element of the set of integers;
P(xi) is the probability of each random variable; and
n is the total number of random variables in the experiment.
How to do!

Step 1: Determine the sample space.

The sample space is {HH, HT, TH, TT}. There are four elements in the sample space.

Step 2: Calculate the probability of the random variable.

Identify the probability of the random variable to occur in relation the sample space.

P(x=0)=P(0T)=P(HH)=14=0.25

P(x=1)=P(1T)=P(TH or HT) = 24 = 0.5

P(x=2)=P(2T)=P(TT)=14=0.25

Step 3: Construct a table for the probability distribution.

x 0T 1T 2T
P(x) 0.25 0.5 0.25

Key Points

Discrete random variables assume countable number of values or integer values. Examples are number of male
students in a classroom and number of cellphones owned.

Continuous random variables assume uncountable number of values. Examples are body temperature, life
span, and distance.

Probability distributions are used to represent the probabilities of random variables in a population

Please answer (Research) Quiz # 2

1. What other ways could you present a probability distribution of discrete random variables?
2. In an experiment, a five-sided die has been modified to appear one side with one dot, two sides with two
dots, and two sides with three dots. Let the random variable x be the number of dots seen when this die is
rolled once. Express the probabilities of x in a probability distribution and verify the properties.

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