AB IL I TI E S

THE PROB
R RE SP ON DI N G T O A
CO
R A ND O M VA R I AB L E
GIVE N
 STEPS IN CONSTRUCTING A PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION OF A DISCRETE
RANDOM VARIABLE.

1.LIST THE SAMPLE SPACE OF THE EXPERIMENT.

2.FIND THE VALUES OF THE RANDOM VARIABLE ASKED.
3.CONSTRUCT THE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF THE RANDOM VARIABLE.
4.CONSTRUCT THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION OF THE RANDOM VARIABLE BY
GETTING THE PROBABILITY OF THE OCCURRENCE OF EACH VALUE OF A RANDOM
VARIABLE.
5.DETERMINE THE FORMULA FORM OF THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION
6.THE GRAPH SHOWS THE PROBABILITY HISTOGRAM OF THE DISTRIBUTION
EXAMPLE
SUPPOSE THREE CELL PHONES ARE TESTED AT RANDOM IN
PREPARATION FOR THE ONLINE CLASS. LET D REPRESENT THE
DEFECTIVE CELL PHONE AND LET N REPRESENT THE NON-
DEFECTIVE ONES. IF WE LET D BE THE RANDOM VARIABLE FOR
THE NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE CELL PHONES, CONSTRUCT THE
PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION IN TABULAR AND FORMULA FORM
THEN DRAW THE CORRESPONDING PROBABILITY HISTOGRAM.
SOLUTION
•DETERMINE THE SAMPLE SPACE AND COUNT THE NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE CELL
PHONES IN EACH OUTCOME.

S= {NNN,NND,NDN,DNN,NDD,DND,DDN,DDD}
EXAMPLE
SUPPOSE THREE CELL PHONES ARE TESTED AT RANDOM IN PREPARATION FOR THE ONLINE CLASS. LET D REPRESENT
THE D BE THE RANDOM VARIABLE FOR THE NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE CELL PHONES, CONSTRUCT THE PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION IN TABULAR AND FORMULA FORM THEN DRAW THE CORRESPONDING PROBABILITY HISTOGRAM.

TABLE OF VALUES OF VARIABLE D (NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE CELLPHONES).

Possible Outcomes Values of D
(number of
Defective The Values of the random variable D
Cellphones) are 0,1,2 and 3.
NNN 0
NND 1
NDN 1
DNN 1
NDD 2
DND 2
DDN 2
DDD 3
EXAMPLE
SUPPOSE THREE CELL PHONES ARE TESTED AT RANDOM IN PREPARATION FOR THE ONLINE CLASS. LET D REPRESENT THE
DEFECTIVE CELL PHONE AND LET N REPRESENT THE NON-DEFECTIVE ONES. IF WE LET D BE THE RANDOM VARIABLE FOR THE
NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE CELL PHONES, CONSTRUCT THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION IN TABULAR AND FORMULA FORM THEN
DRAW THE CORRESPONDING PROBABILITY HISTOGRAM.

• FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION AND PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

Values of D (number of Defective
Cellphones)
0
1
2
3
Total
EXAMPLE
SUPPOSE THREE CELL PHONES ARE TESTED AT RANDOM IN PREPARATION FOR THE ONLINE CLASS. LET D REPRESENT THE
DEFECTIVE CELL PHONE AND LET N REPRESENT THE NON-DEFECTIVE ONES. IF WE LET D BE THE RANDOM VARIABLE FOR THE
NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE CELL PHONES, CONSTRUCT THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION IN TABULAR AND FORMULA FORM THEN
DRAW THE CORRESPONDING PROBABILITY HISTOGRAM.

• FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION AND PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

Values of D (number of Frequency
Defective Cellphones)
0 1
1 3
2 3
3 1
Total 8
EXAMPLE
SUPPOSE THREE CELL PHONES ARE TESTED AT RANDOM IN PREPARATION FOR THE ONLINE CLASS. LET D REPRESENT THE
DEFECTIVE CELL PHONE AND LET N REPRESENT THE NON-DEFECTIVE ONES. IF WE LET N BE THE RANDOM VARIABLE FOR THE
NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE CELL PHONES, CONSTRUCT THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION IN TABULAR AND FORMULA FORM THEN
DRAW THE CORRESPONDING PROBABILITY HISTOGRAM.

• FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION AND PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

Values of D Frequency Probabilit
(number of y
Defective P(D)
Cellphones)
0 1 1/8
1 3 3/8
2 3 3/8
3 1 1/8
Total 8 8/8=1
FORMULA FORM OF THE PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION

•P(D)=
The graph shows the probability
histogram of the distribution
• PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION OF A DISCRETE
RANDOM VARIABLE IS A CORRESPONDENCE THAT
ASSIGNS PROBABILITIES TO THE VALUES OF A
RANDOM VARIABLE. THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION
OF A DISCRETE RANDOM VARIABLE IS ALSO CALLED
THE PROBABILITY MASS FUNCTION. IT IS ALSO
LISTING OF THE POSSIBLE VALUES AND THE
CORRESPONDING PROBABILITIES OF A DISCRETE
RANDOM VARIABLE OR A FORMULA FOR THE
PROBABILITIES.
•PROBABILITY HISTOGRAM IS A BAR
GRAPH THAT DISPLAYS THE POSSIBLE
VALUES OF A DISCRETE RANDOM VARIABLE
ON THE HORIZONTAL AXIS AND THE
PROBABILITIES OF THOSE VALUES ARE ON
THE VERTICAL AXIS.
•THE PROBABILITIES CORRESPONDING TO A GIVEN
RANDOM VARIABLE
PROBABILITY OF AN EVENT

• THE PROBABILITY OF AN EVENT, DENOTED AS P(X), IS THE NUMERICAL MEASURE

OF THE LIKELIHOOD THAT AN EVENT WILL OCCUR. IT IS CALCULATED BY FINDING
THE QUOTIENT OF THE NUMBER OF FAVORABLE OUTCOMES AND THE TOTAL
NUMBER OF POSSIBLE OUTCOMES, IN SYMBOLS, P(X)=

• WHERE IS THE NUMBER OF THE ELEMENTS IN THE EVENT AND IS THE NUMBER OF
THE ELEMENTS IN THE SAMPLE SPACE.
EXAMPLE 1.: SUPPOSE TWO COINS ARE TOSSED. IF X IS A
RANDOM VARIABLE REPRESENTING THE NUMBER OF
TAILS THAT OCCUR, FIND THE PROBABILITY THAT 1
HEAD WILL COME OUT.

SOLUTION
The possible outcomes are HH,HT,TH and TT.
Therefore, the probability that 1 head will come out
= or 50%

or P(X)= = = or 50%
EXAMPLE 2. KENNETH HAD THROWN A PAIR OF DICE.
WHAT IS THE PROBABILITY OF GETTING A SUM OF 6?
9?
SOLUTION
The sample space is the set {(2,4) (4,2), (3,3), (5,1), (1,5)}
and there are 36 elements in the sample space. Hence, the probability of getting
a sum of 6 is

P(X)= = or 13.89%
EXAMPLE 2. KENNETH HAD THROWN A PAIR OF DICE.
WHAT IS THE PROBABILITY OF GETTING A SUM OF 6?
9?
SOLUTION
The sample space is the set {(3,6), (6,3) (4,5), (5,4)}
and there are 36 elements in the sample space. Hence, the probability of getting
a sum of 9 is

P(X)= = or 11.11%
EXAMPLE 3. SUPPOSE A CARD IS SELECTED
AT RANDOM FROM A DECK OF 52 CARDS. COMPUTE FOR
THE PROBABILITY OF PICKING A “BLACK QUEEN” AT
RANDOM.
SOLUTION
The event “black queen” has two elements: E= { queen of spades,
queen of clubs}. Since there are 52 cards, the probability of picking a
black queen is

P(X)= = = or 3.85%
DIRECTIONS: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
PROBLEMS WITH ACCURACY. SHOW YOUR
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS.
In a Cookery class, students were asked to choose at
random a month of the year for their culminating
activity. What is the probability that the name of the
months they chose ends with y?
DIRECTIONS: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
PROBLEMS WITH ACCURACY. SHOW YOUR
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS.
One of the hobbies of Marjorie is to collect local key chains.
She has 15 key chains from Baguio, 10 from Puerto Princesa, 8
from Ilocos region, and 5 from Tagaytay. Her brother Jomarson
borrows one key chain for his school activity. What is the
probability that the key chain he borrows is from Puerto
Princesa?
THE COMPLEMENT RULE OF
PROBABILITY

•THE PROBABILITY THAT AN EVENT WILL HAPPEN

P(E) AND THE PROBABILITY THAT IT WILL NOT
HAPPEN P(E’) GIVE A SUM OF 1, OR IN SYMBOLS,
P(E) + P(E’)=1. THEREFORE, P(E’)=1-P(E).
EXAMPLE 4. MARIA, A GRADE 11 STUDENT HAS A BAG
WITH 4 BLUE, 6 RED AND 10 YELLOW BALLOONS. WHAT IS
THE PROBABILITY THAT A BALLOON CHOSEN AT RANDOM
IS NOT YELLOW?
SOLUTION
Since there are 10 yellow balloons in a bag, the probability of getting a yellow balloon is = 𝑜𝑟 50%. Using the
complement rule, the probability that the balloon chosen is not yellow is:

P(not yellow)= 1- P(yellow), hence,

P(not yellow)= 1- = or 50%
DIRECTIONS: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
PROBLEMS USING THE COMPLEMENT RULE OF
PROBABILITY.
2. Kyla Mae and Mary Joy are two Senior High School
students running for a position in the Student Supreme
Government. If the probability that Kyla Mae will win the
election is 0.52, What is the probability that Mary Joy will
win?
DIRECTIONS: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
PROBLEMS USING THE COMPLEMENT RULE OF
PROBABILITY.
3. Jomarson has three coins and tossed it simultaneously. Find
the probability of showing at least one head.