Business Statistics:

A Decision-Making Approach
6th Edition

Chapter 4
Using Probability and
Probability Distributions

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-1
 Chapter Goals
After completing this chapter, you should be
able to:
 Explain three approaches to assessing

probabilities
 Apply common rules of probability

 Use Bayes’ Theorem for conditional probabilities

 Distinguish between discrete and continuous

probability distributions
 Compute the expected value and standard

deviation for a discrete probability distribution

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-2
 Important Terms

 Probability – the chance that an uncertain event

will occur (always between 0 and 1)
 Experiment – a process of obtaining outcomes
for uncertain events
 Elementary Event – the most basic outcome
possible from a simple experiment
 Sample Space – the collection of all possible
elementary outcomes

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-3
 Sample Space
The Sample Space is the collection of all
possible outcomes
e.g. All 6 faces of a die:

e.g. All 52 cards of a bridge deck:

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-4
 Events

 Elementary event – An outcome from a sample

space with one characteristic
 Example: A red card from a deck of cards

 Event – May involve two or more outcomes

simultaneously
 Example: An ace that is also red from a deck of
cards

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-5
 Visualizing Events
 Contingency Tables
Ace Not Ace Total

Black 2 24 26
Red 2 24 26

Total 4 48 52
 Tree Diagrams Sample

Sample
Ac e 2 Space

C ar d
Space
Bl ac k 24
Full Deck Not an Ace
of 52 Cards Ace
Re d C 2
ard
No t a n
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc.
Ace 24 Chap 4-6
 Elementary Events
 A automobile consultant records fuel type and
vehicle type for a sample of vehicles
2 Fuel types: Gasoline, Diesel
3 Vehicle types: Truck, Car, SUV
k e1
6 possible elementary events: Truc
Car e2
e1 Gasoline, Truck l ine
s o
e2 Gasoline, Car Ga SUV
e3
e3 Gasoline, SUV Die Truc
k
e4
s el Car
e4 Diesel, Truck
e5
e5 Diesel, Car SUV
e6 Diesel, SUV e6
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-7
 Probability Concepts

 Mutually Exclusive Events

 If E1 occurs, then E2 cannot occur
 E1 and E2 have no common elements
E2 A card cannot be
E1
Black and Red at
Red the same time.
Black Cards
Cards

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-8
 Probability Concepts

 Independent and Dependent Events

 Independent: Occurrence of one does not
influence the probability of
occurrence of the other

 Dependent: Occurrence of one affects the

probability of the other

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-9
 Independent vs. Dependent
Events
 Independent Events
E1 = heads on one flip of fair coin
E2 = heads on second flip of same coin
Result of second flip does not depend on the result of
the first flip.
 Dependent Events
E1 = rain forecasted on the news
E2 = take umbrella to work
Probability of the second event is affected by the
occurrence of the first event

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-10
 Assigning Probability
 Classical Probability Assessment
Number of ways Ei can occur
P(Ei) =
Total number of elementary events

 Relative Frequency of Occurrence

Number of times Ei occurs
Relative Freq. of Ei =
N

 Subjective Probability Assessment

An opinion or judgment by a decision maker about
the likelihood of an event
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-11
 Rules of Probability
Rules for
Possible Values
and Sum

Individual Values Sum of All Values

k
0 ≤ P(ei) ≤ 1
∑ P(e ) = 1
i
For any event ei i=1
where:
k = Number of elementary events
in the sample space
ei = ith elementary event
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-12
 Addition Rule for Elementary
Events

 The probability of an event Ei is equal to the

sum of the probabilities of the elementary
events forming Ei.

 That is, if:

Ei = {e1, e2, e3}

then:
P(Ei) = P(e1) + P(e2) + P(e3)
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-13
 Complement Rule
 The complement of an event E is the collection of
all possible elementary events not contained in
event E. The complement of event E is
represented by E.
E
 Complement Rule:

P( E ) = 1 − P(E) E

Or, P(E) + P( E ) = 1
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-14
 Addition Rule for Two Events
■ Addition Rule:
P(E1 or E2) = P(E1) + P(E2) - P(E1 and E2)

E1 + E2 = E1 E2

P(E1 or E2) = P(E1) + P(E2) - P(E1 and E2)

Don’t count common
elements twice!
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-15
 Addition Rule Example

P(Red or Ace) = P(Red) +P(Ace) - P(Red and Ace)

= 26/52 + 4/52 - 2/52 = 28/52

Don’t count
the two red
Color aces twice!
Type Red Black Total
Ace 2 2 4
Non-Ace 24 24 48
Total 26 26 52

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-16
 Addition Rule for
Mutually Exclusive Events
 If E1 and E2 are mutually exclusive, then

P(E1 and E2) = 0 E1 E2

So
0 ally
= utu ve i
if mclus
P(E1 or E2) = P(E1) + P(E2) - P(E1 and E2) ex

= P(E1) + P(E2)

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-17
 Conditional Probability

 Conditional probability for any

two events E1 , E2:

P(E1 and E 2 )
P(E1 | E 2 ) =
P(E 2 )

where P(E 2 ) > 0

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-18
 Conditional Probability
Example

 Of the cars on a used car lot, 70% have air

conditioning (AC) and 40% have a CD player
(CD). 20% of the cars have both.

 What is the probability that a car has a CD

player, given that it has AC ?

i.e., we want to find P(CD | AC)

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-19
 Conditional Probability
Example
(continued
 Of the cars on a used car lot, 70% have air conditioning
)
(AC) and 40% have a CD player (CD).
20% of the cars have both.
CD No CD Total
AC .2 .5 .7
No AC .2 .1 .3
Total .4 .6 1.0

P(CD and AC) .2

P(CD | AC) = = = .2857
P(AC) .7
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-20
 Conditional Probability
Example
(continued
)
 Given AC, we only consider the top row (70% of the cars). Of these,
20% have a CD player. 20% of 70% is about 28.57%.

CD No CD Total
AC .2 .5 .7
No AC .2 .1 .3
Total .4 .6 1.0

P(CD and AC) .2

P(CD | AC) = = = .2857
P(AC) .7
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-21
 For Independent Events:
 Conditional probability for
independent events E1 , E2:

P(E1 | E 2 ) = P(E1 ) where P(E 2 ) > 0

P(E 2 | E1 ) = P(E 2 ) where P(E1 ) > 0

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-22
 Multiplication Rules

 Multiplication rule for two events E1 and E2:

P(E1 and E 2 ) = P(E1 ) P(E 2 | E1 )

Note: If E1 and E2 are independent, then P(E 2 | E1 ) = P(E 2 )

and the multiplication rule simplifies to

P(E1 and E 2 ) = P(E1 ) P(E 2 )

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-23
 Tree Diagram Example

.2
|E )=0 P(E1 and E3) = 0.8 x 0.2 = 0.16
k: P (E 3 1

Truc
Car: P(E4|E1) = 0.5 P(E1 and E4) = 0.8 x 0.5 = 0.40
Gasoline
SUV:
P(E1) = 0.8 P(E |E
5 1 ) = 0. P(E1 and E5) = 0.8 x 0.3 = 0.24
3

|E ) = 0.6 P(E2 and E3) = 0.2 x 0.6 = 0.12

: P(E 3 2
Diesel Truck
P(E2) = 0.2 Car: P(E4|E2) = 0.1
P(E2 and E4) = 0.2 x 0.1 = 0.02
SUV:
P(E |E
5 2 ) = 0.
3 P(E3 and E4) = 0.2 x 0.3 = 0.06

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-24
 Bayes’ Theorem

P(Ei )P(B | Ei )
P(Ei | B) =
P(E1 )P(B | E1 ) + P(E 2 )P(B | E 2 ) +  + P(Ek )P(B | Ek )

 where:
Ei = ith event of interest of the k possible events
B = new event that might impact P(Ei)
Events E1 to Ek are mutually exclusive and collectively
exhaustive

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-25
 Bayes’ Theorem Example

 A drilling company has estimated a 40%

chance of striking oil for their new well.
 A detailed test has been scheduled for more
information. Historically, 60% of successful
wells have had detailed tests, and 20% of
unsuccessful wells have had detailed tests.
 Given that this well has been scheduled for a
detailed test, what is the probability
that the well will be successful?
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-26
 Bayes’ Theorem Example
(continued
)
 Let S = successful well and U = unsuccessful well
 P(S) = .4 , P(U) = .6 (prior probabilities)
 Define the detailed test event as D
 Conditional probabilities:
P(D|S) = .6 P(D|U) = .2
 Revised probabilities
Prior Conditional Joint Revised
Event Prob.
Prob. Prob. Prob.
S (successful) .4 .6 .4*.6 = .24 .24/.36 = .67
U (unsuccessful) .6 .2 .6*.2 = .12 .12/.36 = .33

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc.
Sum = .36 Chap 4-27
 Bayes’ Theorem Example
(continued
)
 Given the detailed test, the revised probability
of a successful well has risen to .67 from the
original estimate of .4

Prior Conditional Joint Revised

Event Prob.
Prob. Prob. Prob.
S (successful) .4 .6 .4*.6 = .24 .24/.36 = .67
U (unsuccessful) .6 .2 .6*.2 = .12 .12/.36 = .33

Sum = .36
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-28
 Introduction to Probability
Distributions
 Random Variable
 Represents a possible numerical value from

a random event
Random
Variables

Discrete Continuous
Random Variable Random Variable

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-29
 Discrete Random
Variables
 Can only assume a countable number of values
Examples:

 Roll a die twice

Let x be the number of times 4 comes up
(then x could be 0, 1, or 2 times)

 Toss a coin 5 times.

Let x be the number of heads
(then x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-30
 Discrete Probability
Distribution

Experiment: Toss 2 Coins. Let x = # heads.

4 possible outcomes
Probability Distribution
T T x Value Probability
0 1/4 = .25
T H 1 2/4 = .50
2 1/4 = .25
H T
Probability

.50

H H .25

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc.
0 1 2 x Chap 4-31
 Discrete Probability
Distribution
 A list of all possible [ xi , P(xi) ] pairs
xi = Value of Random Variable (Outcome)
P(xi) = Probability Associated with Value
 xi’s are mutually exclusive
(no overlap)
 xi’s are collectively exhaustive
(nothing left out)
 0 ≤ P(xi) ≤ 1 for each xi
 Σ P(xi) = 1
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-32
 Discrete Random Variable
Summary Measures
 Expected Value of a discrete distribution
(Weighted Average)

E(x) = Σxi P(xi)

 Example: Toss 2 coins, x P(x)
x = # of heads, 0 .25
compute expected value of x: 1 .50
2 .25
E(x) = (0 x .25) + (1 x .50) + (2 x .25)
= 1.0
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-33
 Discrete Random Variable
Summary Measures
(continued
)
 Standard Deviation of a discrete distribution

σx = ∑ {x − E(x)} P(x) 2

where:
E(x) = Expected value of the random variable
x = Values of the random variable
P(x) = Probability of the random variable having
the value of x

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-34
 Discrete Random Variable
Summary Measures
(continued
)
 Example: Toss 2 coins, x = # heads,
compute standard deviation (recall E(x) = 1)

σx = ∑ {x − E(x)} P(x) 2

σ x = (0 − 1)2 (.25) + (1 − 1)2 (.50) + (2 − 1)2 (.25) = .50 = .707

Possible number of heads =

0, 1, or 2

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-35
 Two Discrete Random
Variables
 Expected value of the sum of two discrete
random variables:

E(x + y) = E(x) + E(y)

= Σ x P(x) + Σ y P(y)

(The expected value of the sum of two random

variables is the sum of the two expected
values)

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-36
 Covariance
 Covariance between two discrete random
variables:

σxy = Σ [xi – E(x)][yj – E(y)]P(xiyj)

where:
xi = possible values of the x discrete random variable
yj = possible values of the y discrete random variable
P(xi ,yj) = joint probability of the values of xi and yj occurring

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-37
 Interpreting Covariance
 Covariance between two discrete random
variables:

σxy > 0 x and y tend to move in the same direction

σxy < 0 x and y tend to move in opposite directions

σxy = 0 x and y do not move closely together

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-38
 Correlation Coefficient
 The Correlation Coefficient shows the
strength of the linear association between
two variables

σxy
ρ=
σx σy
where:
ρ = correlation coefficient (“rho”)
σxy = covariance between x and y
σx = standard deviation of variable x
σy = standard deviation of variable y
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-39
 Interpreting the
Correlation Coefficient
 The Correlation Coefficient always falls
between -1 and +1
ρ=0 x and y are not linearly related.

The farther ρ is from zero, the stronger the linear

relationship:

ρ = +1 x and y have a perfect positive linear relationship

ρ = -1 x and y have a perfect negative linear relationship

Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-

Hall, Inc. Chap 4-40
 Chapter Summary
 Described approaches to assessing probabilities
 Developed common rules of probability
 Used Bayes’ Theorem for conditional
probabilities
 Distinguished between discrete and continuous
probability distributions
 Examined discrete probability distributions and
their summary measures
Business Statistics: A Decision-Making Approach, 6e © 2005 Prentice-
Hall, Inc. Chap 4-41