Lesson

Random Variables
1
Objectives:
In this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Illustrate a random variable (discrete and continuous);
2. Distinguishes between a discrete and a continuous random variables;
3. Find the possible values of random variables;
4. Illustrate a probability distribution for a discrete random variable and its
properties.

What is It
.

RANDOM VARIABLE

Is a function or rule that assigns a real number to each outcome in the sample
space of a random experiment. It is denoted by capital letter, usually x .
It is a set whose elements are the numbers assigned to the outcomes of an
experiments.
A Random Variable can be discrete and continuous.

Definition of terms:

Outcome – it is the result of a single trial of a probability experiment.

Sample space – it is the set of all outcomes of a probability. We can represents the
sample space using Venn diagram and Tree diagram.

Event – it is a collection of one or more outcomes of an experiment, it may be a simple

or compound event.
Impossible Event – it is an event that cannot occur has zero probability to happen.

Sure event – it is an event that is certain to occur has a probability equal to 1.

Independent Event – two events A and B are independent events if the fact that A
occurs does not affect the probability of B occurring.
P ( A|B )=P( A) or P ( A|B )=P( B)

Dependent Event – two events A and B are dependents events for which the outcome
or occurrence of event A affects the outcome or occurrence of event B in such a way
that the probability is changed.

P ( A|B ) ≠ P( A) or P( B∨ A)≠ P (B)

Mutually Exclusive Event – two events A and B are mutually exclusive events if they
cannot occur at the same time.

P( A∨B)≠ P (A ) or P( B∨ A) ≠ P (B)

Independent vs. Dependent event

Example

What is the probability of getting certain marble(s) in a jar with 5 red and
2 blue in the sample space?

Independent: if there are 3 trials for this problem, we need to seek for a repetition in
every outcomes, and that the probability of picking red or blue marbles doesn’t affect
one another by just simply returning the marbles on the jar for every trial succeeded.

Dependent: if there are 3 trials for this problem, we don’t want any repetition in every
outcomes for every trial, and that the probability of picking red or blue marbles affect
one another by simply not returning the marbles on the jar for every trial succeeded.

Addition vs. Multiplication rule of Independent

 Example 1.
Ex. Rolling two (2) dice
What is the probability of getting a sum of 3 or probability of getting a
sum of 5?
Solution: P ( A∨B )=P ( A ) + P ¿

Add 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
6 7 8 9 10 11 12

2 4 6 1
+ = ∨
36 36 36 6

Example 2.
Ex. Rolling a dice
What is the probability of getting a 4 and another 4?

Solution: P ( A∧B )=P ( A )∗P( B)

1
P ( A )=
6
1
P ( B )=
6
1
∗1
Multiply P(A) to P(B) 6 1
¿ =
6 36
Other Solution:
Add 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 (1,1) (1,2) (1,3) (1,4) (1,5) (1,6)
2 (2,1) (2,2) (2,3) (2,4) (2,5) (2,6)
3 (3,1) (3,2) (3,3) (3,4) (3,5) (3,6)
4 (4,1) (4,2) (4,3) (4,4) (4,5) (5,5)
5 (5,1) (5,2) (5,3) (5,4) (5,5) (5,6)
6 (6,1) (6,2) (6,3) (6,4) (6,5) (6,6)
TYPES OF RANDOM VARIABLE
Discrete Random Variable
 A Random variables that can take on a finite (countable infinite) number of
distinct values.
Assume values that can be counted.
Example:
1. Number of heads obtained when tossing a coin thrice.
2. Number of students presents in an online class at a given time.
3. Flipping a coin twice, the random variable Number of Heads
Continuous Random Variable
A random variable that take an infinitely uncountable number of possible
values.
Assume all values between any two specific values; a variable obtained by
measuring or contained one or more intervals.
Example:
1. Exact mass of a random variable selected at the Manila Zoo.
2. Exact winning time men's 100 meter dash 2016 Olympics.
3. Electric current; Weight; Height; temperature.

Determine whether the following statement is Discrete and

Continuous Random Variable.

1. Score of a students in a summative examination. _____________________

2. Amount of paint used in a building project. _____________________
3. How long students ate their lunch. _____________________
4. Number of gifts received by 20 students during Christmas season.
_____________________
5. Weights of eight (8) randomly selected Mathematics books.
_____________________

VALUES OF RANDOM VARIABLES

 Example 1.

Suppose, a coin tossed twice. Let X be number of heads that occur. Find
the possible outcome of the random variable X .

Solution: A tree diagram for tossing a coin twice

There are 4 possible outcomes when tossing a coin twice.

X=2

X=1
X=1

X=0

Example 2.

Suppose, a coin are tossed thrice. Let Y be the number of tails that
occur. Find the possible outcome of the random variable Y .

Solution: A tree diagram for tossing a coin thrice

There are 8 possible outcomes when tossing a coin thrice.

Write all the possible outcomes of each random variable.

 1. Let X =¿ Number of even number outcomes in a roll of a die. _________________

2. Let Y =¿ weight (in mg) of a sugar that doesn’t exceed to 80 mg.

_________________

3. Let M =¿ Score of a student in 5 – items test. _________________

4. Let G=¿ Product of two numbers taken from two boxes containing numbers 0
to 5. _________________

PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FOR A DISCRETE RANDOM VARIABLE AND ITS

PROPERTIES.
Is a mapping or list of all values of a random variable to their corresponding
probabilities for a given samples space.
It is also referred to as probability mass or probability function.

Properties of Probability Distribution

1. The sum of all probabilities should be one (1).

n

∑ P( X i)=¿ 1∨100 % ¿
i=1

2. The probability should be confine between zero (0)and one (1)

0 ≤ P (X )≤ 1
3. The probability that an except doesn’t occur is 1 minus the Probability that the
event does occur.

P ( A ' )=1−P( A )

Example 1.
 Determine whether the following statement is Discrete Probability
Distribution write (DPD) or otherwise write NOT.

1. NOT – This statement doesn’t justify all the properties of discrete probability
distribution.

X 3 6 8
P( X ) −0.3 0.6 0.7

2. DPD – This statement justify all the properties of discrete probability

distribution.

X 1 2 3 4 5
3 1 1 1 3
P( X )
10 10 10 5 10

Example 2.

Suppose, a coin are tossed thrice. Let Y be the random variable

representing the number of tails. Construct the probability distribution
and draw the histogram.

Solution: A tree diagram for tossing a coin thrice

There are 8 possible outcomes when tossing a coin thrice.

Y 0 1 2 3
P(Y 1 3 3 1
) 8 8 8 8

Example 3.
 Box A and Box B contain 1,2,3,4. Write the probability mass function
and draw the histogram of the sum when one number from each box is
taken at a time, with replacement.

Solution: X 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
P(X 1 2 3 4 3 2 1
+ 1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 5 ) 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8

Example 4.
The following data show the probabilities for the number of cars sold in a
given day at a car dealer store.

Solution:

a. Find P( X ≤ 2) .
Answer: 0.50 or 50%

b. Find P( X ≥ 7).
Answer: 0.13 or 13%

c. Find P(3 ≤ X ≤6).

Answer: 0.37 or 37%

MEAN AND VARIANCE OF DISCRETE RANDOM VARIABLE

 The mean, variance, and standard deviation for probability distribution are
calculated differently from the mean, variance, and standard deviation for samples.
This section enlightens how these measure and new measure called the expectations
– are computed for probability distributions.

Probability Distribution: Mean

The mean of a random variable with discrete probability distribution is

μ=[ x¿ ¿1][P ( x 1 ) ]+[x ¿¿ 2][ P ( x 2 ) ]+[ x¿¿ 3][P ( x 3 ) ]+…+[ x¿ ¿ n][ P ( x n ) ]=∑ [ x ] [ P ( x ) ] =E( x)¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

Where,

x 1 . x 2 , x 3 , … x n=¿ are the outcomes

P ( x 1) , P ( x 2) , P ( x 3 ) ,… . P ( x n) =¿ the corresponding probabilities.

∑ [ x ] [ P ( x ) ]=¿ means to sum the products

Probability Distribution: Variance

The variance of random variable with discrete probability distribution is

σ 2=∑ {[ x 2 ] [ P ( x ) ] }−μ 2

Probability Distribution: Standard Deviation

The standard deviation of random variable with discrete probability distribution is

σ =√ σ 2∨σ= √ ∑ { [ x ] [ P ( x ) ] }−μ
2 2

Probability Distribution: Expected Value

The expected value of discrete random variable of probability distribution is the
theoretical average of the variable

μ= E ( x )=∑ {[ x ] [ P ( x ) ] }

The symbol E ( x ) is used for the expected value

Example 1.
 Five balls numbered 1,2,3,4 ,and 5 are placed in a box. One is selected, its
number is noted, and then it is replaced. If this experiment is repeated
many times, find the mean, variance, standard deviation of the numbers
on the balls.

Solution:

Let x=¿ the number on each ball.

The probability distribution is

The number on ball ( x) 1 2 3 4 5

1 1 1 1 1
Probability P( x )
5 5 5 5 5

Mean

∑ [ x ] [ P ( x ) ]=( 1 ) ( 15 )+ ( 2 ) ( 15 )+ ( 3 ) ( 15 )+ ( 4 )( 15 )+ ( 5 ) ( 15 )=3
The mean of a random variable X with discrete probability distribution is 3.

Standard Deviation
2
√∑ {[ x ] [ P ( x ) ] }−μ = 2

√{( )( ) ( )( ) ( )( ) ( )( ) ( )( )}
12
1
5
+ 22
1
5
+ 32
1
5
+ 42
1
5
+ 52
1
5
−3 2=1.41

The standard deviation of random variable X with discrete probability distribution is

1.41

Variance
1 1 1 1 1
σ 2=∑ {[ x 2 ] [ P ( x ) ] }−μ 2= ( 12){ ( ) ( )( ) ( )( ) ( )( ) ( )( )}
5
+ 22
5
+ 32
5
+ 42
5
+ 52
5
−32=2

The variance of random variable X with discrete probability distribution is 2.

Example 2.
 Five hundred raffle tickets are sold at Php 25.00 each for three prizes of
Php 4000.00, Php 2,500.00 and Php1,000.00 . After each prize drawing, the
winner ticket is then returned to the collection of tickets. What is the
expected value if a person purchases four tickets?

Solution:

Gain ( x) Php 3,900.00 Php 2,400.00 Php 9,000.00 −Php 100.00

4 4 4 496
Probability P( x )
500 500 500 500

Formula:
μ= E ( x )=∑ {[ x ] [ P ( x ) ] }

¿ ( 3,900 ) ( 5004 )+( 2400 ) ( 5004 )+( 900 ) ( 5004 )+(−100)( 496
500
)

¿ 31.20+19.20+7.20−99.2
¿−41.60 pesos

Thus, the expected value is -41.60 pesos.

SOME SPECIAL DISCRETE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS

Binomial Probability Distribution
 This probability has only two outcomes or can be reduced into two outcomes.
 Outcomes are considered as either success or failure.
Binomial Probability Distribution Requirements:
1. There must be a fixed number of trials.
2. Each trial can have only two outcomes and are mutually exclusive outcomes.
3. The outcomes of each trial are independent.
4. The probability of success is the same for each trial
Formula: Where:
P ( x ) =¿ Binomial probability distribution
n! n=¿ the number of trials
P ( x) = p x qn− x x=¿ the number of observed success
( n−x ) ! x ! p=¿ the probability of success on each trial
q=¿ the probability of a failure is the same for each
trial
Note: that 0 ≤ x ≤ n and x=0,1,2,3 , … n .

Example 1.

In a survey, 25 % of the people interviewed said they bought their

Refrigerator during the last six months. If eleven people are selected at
random, find the probability that exactly these people bought their
refrigerator during the last six months

Solution:

Formula:
n!
P ( x) = p x qn− x
( n−x ) ! x !
In this case, n = 11, x = 6, p = 25% = 0.25, and q = 1-p = 1- 0.25 = 0.75. Hence,
11!
P ( 6 )= ( 0.25 )6 (0.75)11−6=0.0268
( 11−6 ) ! 6 !
The probability that exactly six of people bought a refrigerator during the last six
months is 0.0268 or 2.68%

Poisson Probability Distribution

  It a statistical distribution that can be used to show how many times an event
is likely to occur within a specified period of time.
 It can be used to estimate how likely it is that something will happen "X"
number of times.
 It is often used for understanding independent events that occur at a constant
rate within a given interval of time and interval maybe in terms of time, a space,
or a volume,
Formula: Where:
μ=¿ the mean number of occurrences in a particular interval of
μ x e− μ time ( μ=np )
P ( X=x )=
x! e=¿ is approximately 2.171828 (base on the Naperian logarithmic
for  x =0,1,2 … system)
x=¿ number of occurrence (success)
P ( x ) =¿ the probability to be computed for a specified value of X .

Example 1.

A vintage car breaks down an average of four times per month. Using a
Poisson probability distribution formula, find the probability that during
the next month this vintage car will have ( a )exactly three breakdowns, ( b )
at most two breakdowns, and ( c )more than one breakdown.

Solution:

a. Exactly three breakdowns

μ x e− μ 43 e−4
P ( x=3 )= =
x! 3!
64(0.0183156)
¿ =0.1954
6
b. At most two breakdowns, and
¿ P ( at most 2 breakdowns )=P(0∨1∨2 breakdowns)
¿ P ( x =0 ) + P ( X=1 ) + P( x =2)
4 0 e− 4 4 1 e−4 4 2 e−4 1( 0.0183156) 4 (0.0183156) 16(0.0183156)
¿ + + = + +
0! 1! 2! 1 1 2
¿ 0.0183+0.0733+ 0.1465=0.2381
c. More than one breakdown.
The probability that at least two breakdowns will be observed during the next month is
given by P ( x>1 ) =P ( x ≥2 ) . We could try
P ( x ≥ 2 )=P ( x=2 ) + P ( x=3 )+ P ( x=4 )+ …
 Solution:

c. More than one breakdown.

There are an infinite number of terms. A much better way is to use the fact that these
probabilities sum to 1. Consequently,

¿ 1−¿
40 e−4 41 e−4
¿ 1− [
0!
+
1! ]
¿ 1−(0.0183+0.0733)
¿ 1−0.0916
¿ 0.9084
Hence, the probability that more than one breakdown is 0.9084

Hypergeometric Probability Distribution

 It used to model finite – population situations where sample are taken without
replacement and where the probability of successes is to be computed.
 It is applied when the probability of success is not the same from trial to trial
which is in contradiction with the binomial distribution.

Formula:
Where:
N=¿ population size
❑S C x∗❑N −S Cn −x n=¿ sample size
P ( X=x )= S=¿ number of successes in the population
❑N C n
x=¿ number of successes in the sample
N−s=¿ number of failures in the population
n−x=¿ number of failures in the sample
P ( X=x )=¿ the probability to be computed for a
specified value of X .

Example 1.
 A package of 8 AAA size batteries contains 2 that are defective and 6 that
are non – defective. If we select 4 batteries at random from the package,
what is the probability that the sample contains exactly 1 defective
battery?

Solution:

Let N = 8, the number of batteries in each package.

n = 4, the sample size.

S = 2, the number of defective batteries.

x = 1, the number of defective batteries in the sample

2!
∗6 !
( 2−1 ) ! 1 !
Apply the formula: ❑ C ∗❑ C ( 6−3 ) ! 3 ! 2(20)
P ( X=x )= S x N −S n −x = = =0.5714
❑N C n 8! 70
( 8−4 ) ! 4 !
Thus, the probability of selecting 4 batteries at random out of 8 and finding that 1 of

What I Have Learned

CONCLUSION

 Random Variable – Is a function or rule that assigns a real number to each

outcome in the sample space of a random experiment. It is denoted by capital
letter, usually x .
 Discrete Random Variable – A Random variables, that can take on a finite
(countable infinite) number of distinct values. Assume values that can be
counted.
 Continuous Random Variable – A random variable that take an infinitely
uncountable number of possible values. Assume all values between any two
specific values; a variable obtained by measuring or contained one or more
intervals.
 Outcome – It is the result of a single trial of a probability experiment.
 Sample Space – It is the set of all outcomes of a probability. We can represent
the sample space using Venn diagram and Tree diagram.
 Event – It is a collection of one or more outcomes of an experiment, it may be a
simple or compound event.
 Impossible Event – It is an event that cannot occur has zero probability to
happen.
  Sure Event – It is an event that is certain to occur has a probability equal to 1.
 Independent Event – Two events A and B are independent events if the fact that
A occurs does not affect the probability of B occurring.
 Dependent Event – Two events A and B are dependents events for which the
outcome or occurrence of event A affects the outcome or occurrence of event B
in such a way that the probability is changed.
 Mutually Exclusive Event – Two events A and B are mutually exclusive events if
they cannot occur at the same time.
 Probability Distribution - is a mapping or list of all values of a random variable
to their corresponding probabilities for a given samples space. It is also referred
to as probability mass or probability function.
 Binomial Probability Distribution – This probability has only two outcomes or
can be reduced into two outcomes. Outcomes are considered as either success
or failure.
 Poisson Probability Distribution – It a statistical distribution that can be used to
show how many times an event is likely to occur within a specified period of
time. It can be used to estimate how likely it is that something will happen "X"
number of times. It is often used for understanding independent events that
occur at a constant rate within a given interval of time and interval maybe in
terms of time, a space, or a volume,
 Hypergeometric Probability Distribution – It used to model finite – population
situations where sample are taken without replacement and where the
probability of successes is to be computed. It is applied when the probability of
success are not the same from trial to trial which is in contradiction with the
binomial distribution.

WEEKLY PROBLEM SET 1.

General Instructions:

1. Input all the necessary solution.

2. Box your final answer.
Pointing System:

1. Compose of 9 points per questions (letter).

2. Additional 1 point per question (letter) for those who will submit their WPS on
time (before or the day of the due date). Total of 10 points per questions (letter).
Over all, Total of 40 points.

Rubrics:

𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝟎 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝟏 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝟑 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔

 NO stated ABSOLUTE in the
𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 INCORRECT process of
solution at process of solving the
/𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 solving the solution.
all. solution.
NO stated
final INCORRECT in the final ABSOLUTE in the final
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓
answer at answer. answer.
all.
INCORRECT in ABSOLUTE in
𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 NO stated
constructing the constructing the
/ conclusion
conclusion/interpretation conclusion/interpretation
𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 at all.
of the data. of the data.

Word Problem:
A batch of parts contains 80 parts from Batangas supplier of engine and 120 parts
from as supplier of engine in Bulacan. If five parts are selected randomly and without
replacement, find the probability that (𝑎) they are all from Batangas supplier; (𝑏) three
or more parts in the sample are from Batangas; (𝑐) at most two parts in the sample are
from Batangas supplier; and (𝑑) at least one part in the sample is from Batangas
supplier.

What I Can Do
NAME: _______________________________ DATE ___________________ SCORE: _____/50
SECTION: ___________________________ TEACHER: __________________________________
ACTIVITY 1.

Test A: Indicate which of the following random variable are Discrete or

Continuous. (1 point each)
______________ 1. The price of a house.
______________ 2. The weight of a sack of rice.
______________ 3. The amount of time to complete a task.

______________ 4. Heartbeat of Ralph if Anne asked him for a date.

______________ 5. The number of DVD monthly sales in a Video Center.

______________ 6. The distance between Dasmariñas City and Imus City.

______________ 7. The temperature of Justin’s hand whenever he sees Aby.

______________ 8. Water temperatures of five rivers in the Philippines on a

given day.
______________ 9. The number of stuttered words of Justin when Aby is
talking with him.
10. The arch length of De vera’s smile whenever Anne is
______________ getting closer to him.

Test B. Solve the following: Write all the necessary solution and box your final
answer. (5 points each)

1. Find the mean, variance and standard deviation of the following discrete
probability distribution.

𝑥 5 10 15 20 25
𝑃(𝑥) 0.05 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.35

2. A raffle is held to raise money to be used for the school’s outreach program. A
raffle ticket costs Php 500.00 and there are 4,000 to be sold to Alumni
 members. The ticket drawn from the raffle will win for its holder the prize of
Php 500,000.00. Find the expected value of this raffle.
3. In a family of 6 children, what is the probability of getting exactly 5 boys?
4. A large machine produces an average of 1.3 defects per box of floor tile. What is
the probability that the next box of floor tile products will have 2 defects?
5. The number of students arriving at a College Dean’s office for academic
consultation during enrolment period is Poisson distributed with a mean of 5
per half an hour. What is the probability that 2 or less students will arrive in
the next 30 minutes?
6. In a room containing ten people, six are members of Union. A random sample of
four was selected for a committee. What is the probability that exactly two of
them are members of Union?
7. A random sample of 1353 adult showed that 688 of them has stopped at least
once on the internet. What is the probability that randomly selected adult has
stopped on the internet?
8. Two balls are drawn in succession without replacement from a box containing 5
Green balls and 6 Yellow. Let 𝑀 be the random variable representing the
number of Yellow balls. Find the values of the random variable 𝑀.