Mean and

Variance of a
Discrete Random
Variable
Mean and Variance of Random Variables

Just like variables from a data set,

random variables are described by
measures of central tendency (like the
mean) and measures of variability (like
variance).
 Mean of a Discrete Random Variable
The mean of a discrete random variable X
is a weighted average of the possible values
that the random variable can take. Unlike the
sample mean of a group of observations, which
gives each observation equal weight, the mean
of a random variable weights each outcome X1
according to its probability, P1. The common
symbol for the mean (also known as the
expected value of X) is
Steps in finding the mean:
Step 1. Construct the probability
distribution for the random variable
representing the number of spots that would
appear.
Step 2. Multiply the value of the random
variable X by the corresponding probability.
Step 3. Add the result obtained in Step 2.
Example:

The probabilities that a customer Number of Items Probability

grocery store are 3ൗ10, 1ൗ10,1ൗ10,

will buy 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 items in a
X P(X)

2ൗ , and 3ൗ , respectively. What is 3ൗ

10 10
1 10
1ൗ
10
the average number of items that a
customer will buy? 2

1ൗ
3 10
2ൗ
4 10
3ൗ
5 10
Solution:

Number of Items Probability X ∙ P(X)

X P(X)
3ൗ 1 X 3ൗ10 = 3ൗ10
1 10
1ൗ 2 X 1ൗ10 = 2ൗ10
2 10

3 1ൗ
10 3 X 1ൗ10 = 3ൗ10

2ൗ 4 X 2ൗ10 = 8ൗ10
4 10
3ൗ 5 X 3ൗ10 = 15ൗ10
5 10

𝜇 = ΣX ∙ P(X) = 31ൗ10= 3.1

So the mean of the probability distribution is 3.1. This implies that the average
number of items that a customer will buy is 3.1.
Variance of a Discrete Random Variable

A measure of spread for a distribution of a random

variable that determines the degree to which the values of a
random variable differ from the expected value.
For a discrete random variable the variance is
calculated by summing the product of the square of the
difference between the value of the random variable and the
expected value, and the associated probability of the value
of the random variable, taken over all of the values of the
random variable.
•Steps in Finding the Variance and Standard
Deviation
•1. Find the mean of the probability distribution.
•2. Subtract the mean from each value of the
random variable X.
•3. Square the results obtained in Step 2.
•4. Multiply the result obtained in Step 3 by the
corresponding probability.
•5. Get the sum of the results obtained in Step 4.
 Formula for the Variance of a Discrete Probability distribution

𝜎2 = Σ(X − 𝜇)2 ∙𝑃ሺ 𝑋ሻ

Formula for the Standard Deviation of a Discrete Probability distribution

𝜎= ඥ Σ(X − 𝜇)2 ∙𝑃ሺ 𝑋ሻ

Where: X = value of the random variable

𝑃ሺ 𝑋ሻ = probability of the random variable
𝜇 = mean of the probability distribution
Example:
The probabilities that a customer will Number of Probability

store are 3ൗ10, 1ൗ10,1ൗ10, 2ൗ10, and

buy 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 items in a grocery Items X P(X)

3ൗ , respectively. What is the average 3ൗ

10
1 10
1ൗ
10
number of items that a customer will
buy? 2

1ൗ
3 10
2ൗ
4 10
3ൗ
5 10
Solution:
Number 𝑋∙𝑃(𝑋) 𝑋− 𝜇 (𝑋 − 𝜇)2 (X − 𝜇)2 ∙𝑃(𝑋)
𝑃(𝑋)
Probability
Sold 𝑋
of Cars

3ൗ 1 X 3ൗ10 = 3ൗ10 1 – 3.1 = -2.1 (−2.1)2 = 4.41 4.41 ∙ 3ൗ10 = 1.323

1 10
1ൗ 2 X 1ൗ10 = 2ൗ 2 – 3.1 = -1.1 (−1.1)2 = 1.21 1.21 ∙ 1ൗ10 = 0.121
2 10 10
1ൗ 3 X 1ൗ10 = 3ൗ 3 – 3.1 = -0.1 (−0.1)2 = 0.01 0.01 ∙ 1ൗ10 = 0.001
3 10 10
2ൗ 4 X 2ൗ10 = 8ൗ 4 – 3.1 = 0.9 (0.9)2 = 0.81 0.81 ∙ 2ൗ10 = 0.162
4 10 10
3ൗ 5 X 3ൗ10 = 15ൗ10 5 – 3.1 = 1.9 (1.9)2 = 3.61 3.61 ∙ 3ൗ10 = 1.083
5 10
𝜇 = ΣX ∙ P(X) = 31ൗ10= 3.1 𝜎2 = Σ(X − 𝜇)2 ∙𝑃ሺ 𝑋ሻ = 𝟐.𝟔𝟗

𝜎= ξ2.69
Therefore, the variance of the probability distribution is 2.69.The standard deviation is

𝝈= 𝟏.𝟔𝟒
 The variance is parallel to the moment of inertia
in physics. What is important to understand is that,
in relative terms:
 a small variance means that the distribution of the
random variable is concentrated narrowly around
the mean
 a large variance means that the distribution is
spread out, with some chance of observing values
at some distance from the mean.
 Remember that the variance
cannot be negative, because it is
an average of squared quantities.
This is appropriate, as a negative
spread for a distribution does not
make sense. Hence, variance is
greater than 0.
Directions: Compute the mean and variance of the probability distribution. Show your
solution on the separate sheets.

When three coins are tossed, Probability

Number of Heads X
1ൗ
the probability distribution for P(X)
8
the random variable X
3ൗ
0

8
representing the number of

3ൗ
heads occur is given below. 1

8
1ൗ
Compute the variance of the 2

8
probability distribution. 3
 Discrete
Probability
distribution
Example:

Consider rolling a die. What is Number of

Probability P(X)
the average number of spots Spots X
1ൗ
6
that would appear?
1

1ൗ
2 6
1ൗ
3 6
1ൗ
4 6
1ൗ
5 6
1ൗ
6 6
Solution:

Number of Probability X ∙ P(X) 𝑋− 𝜇 (𝑋 − 𝜇)2 (X − 𝜇)2 ∙𝑃(𝑋)

Spots X P(X)
1ൗ 1 X 1ൗ6 = 1ൗ6 1 – 3.5 = -2.5 (−2.5)2 = 6.25 6.25 ∙ 1ൗ6 = 1.042
1 6
1ൗ 2 X 1ൗ6 = 2ൗ6 2 – 3.5 = -1.5 (−1.5)2 = 2.25 2.25 ∙ 1ൗ6 = 0.375
2 6
1ൗ 3 X 1ൗ6 = 3ൗ6 3 – 3.5 = -0.5 (−0.5)2 = 0.25 0.25 ∙ 1ൗ6 = 0.042
3 6
1ൗ 4 X 1ൗ6 = 4ൗ6 4 – 3.5 = 0.5 (0.5)2 = 0.25 0.25 ∙ 1ൗ6 = 0.042
4 6
1ൗ 5 X 1ൗ6 = 5ൗ6 5 – 3.5 = 1.5 (1.5)2 = 2.25 2.25 ∙ 1ൗ6 = 0.375
5 6
1ൗ 6 X 1ൗ6 = 6ൗ6 6 – 3.5 = 2.5 (2.5)2 = 6.25 6.25 ∙ 1ൗ6 = 1.042
6 6

𝜇 = ΣX ∙ P(X) = 21ൗ6= 3.5 𝜎2 = Σ(X − 𝜇)2 ∙𝑃ሺ 𝑋ሻ = 2.92

 Mean is equal to 3.5. This is called the mean of the
random variable X or the mean of the probability
distribution of X. The mean tells us the average number of
spots that would appear in a roll of die. So, the average
number of spots that would appear is 3.5. Although the die
will never show a number, which is 3.5, this implies that
rolling the die many times, the theoretical mean would be
3.5. On the other hand, variance is equal to 2.92. Variance
gives a measure of how far the values of X are from the
mean. The variance is a measure of how much the
probability mass is spread out around this center.
Directions: Solve for the mean and variance of the following probability distribution.
Interpret the result. Show your solution on the separate sheets.
The number of cars sold per day Number of
Probability P(X)
1ൗ
at a local car dealership, along Cars Sold X
10
with its corresponding
2ൗ
0

10
probabilities, is shown in the

3ൗ
succeeding table. Compute the 1

10
2ൗ
variance of the probability 2

10
distribution by following the
2ൗ
3

10
given steps.
4
Assessment

Directions: Choose the letter that corresponds to the correct answer. Write your answer in
the answer sheet provided.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the interpretation of the values of
variance and standard deviation?

A. A small value of variance or standard deviation indicates that the distribution of the
discrete random variable is closer about the mean.

B. A large value of variance or standard deviation indicates that the distribution of the
discrete random variable is closer about the mean.

C. A small value of variance or standard deviation indicates that the distribution of the
discrete random variable takes some distance from the mean.

D. All of the above.

2. In 50 items test, Miss Santos, a mathematics teacher claimed that most of the students’
scores lie closer to 35. In this situation, score of 35 is considered as,

A. Variance C. Expected Value or Mean

B. Standard Deviation D. Median

3. Which of the following statement describes variance of a discrete random variable?

C. It is a weighted average of the possible values that the random variable can take.

D. It is the product of mean and the square of the probability distribution of a discrete
random variables.

E. It is obtained by getting the summation of the product of the square of the difference
between the value of X and the expected value times its corresponding probability

F. All of the above

 𝑋
6
4. If P(X) = , what are the possible values of X for it to be a probability distribution?
A. 0, 2, 3 C. 2, 3, 4
B. 1, 2, 3 D. 1, 1, 2

For numbers 5-6, refer to the probability distribution shown below.

X 0 1 2 3
1ൗ 3ൗ 3ൗ 1ൗ
P(X) 8 8 8 8
For numbers 5-6, refer to the probability distribution shown below.
X 0 1 2 3
1ൗ 3ൗ 3ൗ 1ൗ
P(X) 8 8 8 8

5. What is the mean of the probability distribution?

A. 1.2 C. 1.6

B. 1.5 D. 1.8

6. What is the variance of the probability distribution?

A. 0.50 C. 1.00

B. 0.75 D. 1.25
7. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about variance?
A. cannot be negative
B. greater than 0
C. less than 0
D. a measure of spread for a distribution of a random variable
8. It is a weighted average of the possible values that the random
variable can take.
A. Mean C. Standard Deviation
B. Variance D. Probability Distribution
9. The appropriate formula in finding the mean of discrete random
variable is

A. C.

B. D.

10. What formula is used to find the variance of discrete random

variable?

A. ; for all possible values of x

B. ; for all possible values of X

C. ; for all possible values of x

D. ; for all possible values of x