Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

WORKSHEET IN STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY

WEEK 1

I. Topic Random Variables and Probability Distributions

1. illustrates a random variable (discrete and

continuous).

2. distinguishes between a discrete and a

continuous random variable.

3. finds the possible values of a random variable.

4. illustrates a probability distribution for a discrete

random variable and its properties.
II. Competency / Objective
5. computes probabilities corresponding to a given
random variable.

6. illustrates the mean and variance of a discrete

random variable.

7. calculates the mean and the variance of a

discrete random variable.

III.Materials Ballpen, yellow paper

IV. Presentation/Discussion

Definition of Random Variable

A random variable is a numerical quantity that is assigned to the outcome of an experiment. We use
capital letters to represent a random variable. Consider the examples that follow.

Example 1
Suppose two coins are tossed and we are interested to determine the number of heads that will
come out. Let us use H to represent the number of heads that will come out. Determine the values of
the random variable H.

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

Step 1. List the sample space of the experiment.

S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}

Step 2. Count the number of heads in each outcome and assign this number to this outcome.

OUTCOME NUMBER OF HEADS (VALUE OF H)

HH 2
HT 1
TH 1
TT 0

The values of the random variable H (number of heads) in this experiment are 0, 1, and 2.

Example 2.
A basket contains 10 ripe and 4 unripe bananas. If three bananas are taken from the basket
one after the other, determine the possible values of the random variable R representing the number of
ripe bananas.

Step 1. List the sample space of this experiment. Let R represent the ripe bananas and let U represent
the unripe bananas.

S = {RRR, RRU, RUR, URR, UUR, URU, RUU, UUU}

Step 2. Count the number of ripe bananas R in each outcome and assign this number to this outcome.

Outcome Number of Ripe Bananas

(Value of R)
RRR 3
RRU 2
RUR 2
URR 2
UUR 1
URU 1
RUU 1
UUU 0

The values of the random variable R (number of ripe bananas) in this experiment are 0, 1, 2, and 3.

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

Discrete and Continuous Random Variable

A random variable may be classified as discrete or continuous. A discrete random variable is one that can
assume only a countable number of values. A continuous random variable can assume infinite number of
values in one or more intervals.

Discrete Random Variable Continuous Random Variables

Number of pencils in the box Amount of antibiotics
Number of soldiers in the troop Lifetime of light bulbs in minutes
Number of rotten tomatoes in the basket Length of wire ropes
Number of defective flashlights Voltage of radio batteries

Probability Distribution of the Discrete Random Variable

We can make a frequency distribution of the values of the random variable and determine the probability
that each value of the random variable will occur. The resulting distribution is called a probability
distribution of the discrete random variable. The probability distribution of a discrete random variable is
sometimes called the probability mass function.

Example:

A basket contains 10 ripe and 4 unripe bananas. If three bananas are taken from the basket
one after the other, determine the possible values of the random variable R representing the number of
ripe bananas.

Step 1. List the sample space of this experiment. Let R represent the ripe bananas and let U represent
the unripe bananas.

S = {RRR, RRU, RUR, URR, UUR, URU, RUU, UUU}

Step 2. Count the number of ripe bananas R in each outcome and assign this number to this outcome.

Outcome Number of Ripe Bananas

(Value of R)
RRR 3
RRU 2
RUR 2
URR 2
UUR 1
URU 1
RUU 1
UUU 0

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

Step 3. Construct the frequency distribution of the values of the random variable R.

Number of Ripe Bananas Number of Occurrence

(Values of R) (frequency)
3 1
2 3
1 3
0 1
Total 8

Step 4. Construct the probability distribution of the random variable R by getting the probability of
occurrence of each value of the random variable.

Number of Ripe Number of Occurrence Probability

Bananas (frequency) P(R)
(Values of R)
3 1 1
8
2 3 3
8
1 3 3
8
0 1 1
8
Total 8 1

Properties of a Discrete Probability Distribution

 All probabilities must be between 0 and 1.
 The sum of the probabilities must add up to 1.

The Mean of a Discrete Probability Distribution

To find the mean (µ) or the expected value E(X) of a discrete probability distribution, we use the following
formula:

µ = E(X) = ∑[X∙P(X)]
where µ = mean
X = value of the random variable
P(X) = is the probability value of the random variable

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

Example: Find the mean of the discrete random variable X of the given probability distribution.

X P(X) X∙P(X)
3 1 3
8 8
2 3 6
8 8
1 3 3
8 8
0 1 0
8
Total 1 12
8
µ = E(X) = ∑[X∙P(X)]
3 6 3
= + + +0
8 8 8
12 3
= = = 1.5
8 2

Therefore, the mean or the expected value of the probability distribution is 1.5.

The Variance and the Standard Deviation of a Discrete Probability Distribution

To find the variance and the standard deviation of a discrete probability distribution, use the following
formulas:

2 2
σ = ∑[ X ∙P(X)] - µ
2
σ = √ [ X 2 ∙ P ( X ) ]−µ2

Where µ = mean
X = value of the random variable
P(X) = the probability value of the random variable
2
σ = variance
σ = standard deviation

Example: Find the mean, variance, and standard deviation of the probability distribution.

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

X P(X)
2 1
4
1 1
2
0 1
4

Step 1. Find the mean of the probability distribution. Prepare a table as shown below.
X P(X) X∙P(X)
2 1 1
4 2
1 1 1
2 2
0 1 0
4
µ = E(X) = ∑[X∙P(X)]
1 1
= + +0
2 2
=1
Step 2. Square each value of the random variable and multiply by the corresponding probability value [ X 2
∙P(X)]. The table below will be helpful.
2 2
X P(X) X X ∙P(X)
2 1 4 1
4
1 1 1 1
2 2
0 1 0 0
4

Step 3. Find the variance and the standard deviation by applying the formulas.
2 2 2
σ = ∑[ X ∙P(X)] - µ
1
= (1 + + 0) - 12
2
1
= = 0.5
2
The standard deviation is computed by getting the square root of the variance.
σ = √ 0.5 = 0.71

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

V. Activities

A. Classify the following as discrete or continuous.

1. Number of senators present in the meeting

2. The weight of newborn babies for the month of June
3. The number of ballpens in the box
4. The capacity of the electrical resistors
5. The amount of salt needed to bake a loaf of bread
6. The capacity of an auditorium
7. The number of households with television
8. The height of mango trees in a farm
9. The area of lots in a subdivision
10. The number of students who joined a field trip
11. The time it takes a student to finish his test in a particular subject
12. The number of registered nurses in a city
13. The number of winners in lotto for each month
14. The weight of professional boxers
15. The grade point average of students

B. Determine the values of the random variable in each of the following situations. NOTE: Follow
Steps 1 and 2.

1. Two coins are tossed. Let T be the number of tails that occurs. Determine the values of the
random variable T.
2. Three coins are tossed. Let T be the number of tails that occurs. Determine the values of the
random variable T.
3. A meeting of consuls was attended by 4 Americans and 2 Germans. If three consuls were
selected at random one after the other, determine the number of values of the random variable G
representing the number of Germans.

C. Construct the probability distribution of the random variable for each of the following situations.
1. Three coins are tossed. Let T be the number of tails that occur.
2. A meeting of consuls was attended by 4 Americans and 2 Germans. If three consuls were
selected at random, construct the probability distribution of the random variable G representing
the number of Germans.

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

D. Find the mean, the variance, and the standard deviation of the following distributions:

1.
R P(R)
2 3
10
3 2
5
4 1
5
5 1
10

2.
R P(R)
0 0.06
1 0.70
2 0.20
3 0.03
4 0.01

VI. Reflection/s
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Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
DIVISION OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Senior High School Department

_________

Prepared by

MAY VILLANUEVA - FAIGMANI

SHS Master Teacher II

Nabuslot National High School

Nabuslot, Pinamalayan Oriental Mindoro, 5208
Email Address: nabuslotnhs@yahoo.com