LESSON 3 COMPUTING THE MEAN

OF A DISCRETE PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION
JANET C. FERNANDO
SUBJECT TEACHER
 LEARNING OUTCOMES AND
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, the learner will able to:
• Illustrate and calculate the mean of a discrete
random variable
• Interpret the mean of a discrete random variable
and solve problems involving mean of probability
distributions
REVIEW: EVALUATING SUMMATIONS

Given the values of x and y. Evaluate the following

summations.
x1 = 4 x2 = 2 x3 = 5 x4 = 1
y1 = 2 y2 = 1 y3 = 0 y4 = 2

1. ∑ x = x1 + x2 + x3 + x4 = 4 + 2 + 5 + 1 = 12
2. ∑ y = y1 + y2 + y3 + y4 = 2 + 1 + 0 + 2 = 5
3. ∑ xy =
4. ∑ (x + y)
5. ∑ 4xy
MEAN OF A RANDOM VARIABLE X

• Mean of a random variable x with a discrete probability

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

Steps in Finding the Mean of a Discrete Random Variable

1. Construct the probability distribution for the random variable x
representing the no. of spots (in the die) that would appear
2. Multiply the value of the random variable x by the
corresponding probability
3. Add the results obtained in Step 2.

Formula for the Mean of a Discrete Random Variable x

µ = x1 . P(x) + x2 . P(x) + x3 . P(x) + x4 . P(x) + . . . + xn . P(x)

µ = ∑ x . P(x)
FIND THE MEAN OF THE PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION
1. Number of Spots
Consider rolling a die. What is the average number of spots
that would appear?
No. of spots X Probability X X . P(X)
1 1/6 1/6
2 1/6 2/6
3 1/6 3/6
4 1/6 4/6
5 1/6 5/6
6 1/6 6/6
∑ X . P(X) = 21/6 = 3.5
The mean =3.5 tells us the average number of spots that would
appear in a roll of a die
FIND THE MEAN OF THE PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION
2. Grocery Items
the probabilities that a customer will buy 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 items
in a grocery store are 3/10. 1/10, 1/10, 2/10 and 3/10, respectively.
What is the average number of items that a customer will buy?

No. of Items X Probability X X . P(X)

1 3/10 3/10
2 1/10 2/10
3 1/10 3/10
4 2/10 8/10
5 3/10 15/10
∑ X . P(X) = 31/10 = 3.1

The mean of probability distribution is 3.1. This implies that the

average number of items that the customer will buy is 3.1
 EXERCISE

1. Complete the table and find the mean of

Probability Distribution

No. of Items X Probability X X . P(X)

a.
1 1/7
6 1/7
11 3/7
16 1/7
21 1/7
∑ X . P(X) =
 EXERCISE

1. Complete the table and find the mean of

Probability Distribution

No. of Items X Probability X X . P(X)

b.
1 3/10
2 2/10
3 6/10
4 8/10
5 10/10
∑ X . P(X) =
 EXERCISE

2. Surgery Patients
The probabilities that a surgeon operates on 3,
4, 5, 6, or 7 patients in any day are 0.15, 0.10, 0.20,
0.25 and 0.30 respectively. Find the average number
of patients that a surgeon operates on a day
No. of Items X Probability X X . P(X)

∑ X . P(X) =