Mean and Variance of a

Probability Mass Function

At the end of the lesson, I should be able to:
- Construct the probability mass function of a discrete random variable
and its corresponding histogram
- Calculate the probabilities corresponding to a given random variable
- Illustrate and calculate the mean and variance of a PMF
 TA T
S ?
r u e
T
What is the world’s deadliest hunter?
This remarkable success rate of
Dragonflies are the
dragonflies is due to their complex eyes
which can detect black spots against the
most efficient
sky and their wings which are powered by
individual muscles resulting in amazing
predators on Earth
acceleration and agility. But according to
with near or at a 95%
neuroscientist Anthony Leonardo, it’s due
to the dragonfly’s brain that uses highly
hunt-to-kill ratio.
optimized hunting strategies to predict
where the prey is going.
Activity 1:

Siblings
count!
Activity 1:
1. Divide the class into 2 groups
2. Each of you will be asked about the number of your
siblings.
3. Complete the table.
Number of
siblings 1 2 3 4 5 6
Frequency

4. Create a histogram of your results.

You have seen in Activity 1 how to
present a data using a table and a
histogram.

A histogram is a graph of
probability mass function. The
total area under a histogram is 1.
To get the probability for each case, we
need to divide each frequency by the
total frequency
Number of
siblings 1 2 3 4 5 6
Frequency
3 4 6 4 2 1
P(X) 3/20 4/20 6/20 4/20 2/20 1/20
 Number of
siblings 1 2 3 4 5 6
Frequency
3 4 6 4 2 1
P(X) 3/20 4/20 6/20 4/20 2/20 1/20

1. The probability of each value of the random variable

must be between or equal to 0 and 1.
2. The sum of the probabilities of all values of the
random variable must be equal to 1.
Try this!
A university has a lab with six computers reserved for
students specializing in Geology. Assume that X
represents the number of these computers that are in
use from 8am to 6pm every day. Construct a probability
mass function.
X
(number of
computers)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Time in a
day 1 1 1.5 2.5 2.5 1 30mins
 X
(number of
computers)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Time in
a day
1 1 1.5 2.5 2.5 1 30mins

P(X) 1/10 1/10 1.5/10 2.5/10 2.5/10 1/10 .5/10

P(X) 60/600 60/600 90/600 150/600 150/600 60/600 30/600
 X
(number of
computers)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
P(X) 0.10 0.10 0.15 0.25 0.25 0.10 0.05

Find the probability that at least 3 computers

are in use at a particular time of day.
Solution: P(X=3) + P(X=4) + P(X=5) + P(X=6)
0.25 + 0.25 + 0.10 + 0.05 = 0.65 or 65%
Try this!
A student is selected randomly among 735 students
enrolled in PCS SHS. Let X be the random variable
representing the specialized subjects of the students. The
probability distribution of X is given below:
X
(number of
special sub)
1 2 3 4 5
P(X) 0.10 0.11 0.25 0.33 0.21
Estimate the number of students with
at least 4 specialized subjects.
 X
(number of
special sub)
1 2 3 4 5
P(X) 0.10 0.11 0.25 0.33 0.21

Solution: P(X=4) + P(X=5)

0.33 + 0.21 = 0.54 or 54%
Estimated no. of students = (0.54) (735 students)
= 396.9 students
 X
Number
P(X) X * P(X)
Compute for the MEAN!
of siblings
1 3/20 3/20 Mean =
2 4/20 8/20
= 61/20 or 3.05
3 6/20 18/20
4 4/20 16/20 this means that,
5 2/20 10/20 the “typical”
6 1/20 6/20 number of
siblings in this
class is 3 – 4.
 X P(X) X * P(X)
No. of Comp Compute for the MEAN!
0 0.10 0
1 0.10 0.10 Mean =
2 0.15 0.30 = 2.95
3 0.25 0.75 this means that,
4 0.25 1
the “typical”
5 0.10 0.5
number of
6 0.05 0.3
computer used is
2.95 – 3.00.
Try this!
A student is selected randomly among 735 students
enrolled in PCS SHS. Let X be the random variable
representing the specialized subjects of the students. The
probability distribution of X is given below:
X
(number of
special sub)
1 2 3 4 5
P(X) 0.10 0.11 0.25 0.33 0.21
Compute for the mean of the
probability distribution.
X P(X) X * P(X)
1 0.10 0.10 Mean =
2 0.11 0.22 = 3.44
3 0.25 0.75
4 0.33 1.32
5 0.21 1.05
Try this!
A radiologist records the number of patients waiting in
queue every 8 a.m. for X-ray in a certain hospital for 20
consecutive days. The following are his observation:
0 1 2 3 4
Number of
Patients Waiting

2 5 3 7 3
Number of Days

Compute for the mean of the

probability distribution.
X P(X) X * P(X)
0 2/20 0 Mean =
1 5/20 5/20 = 2.2
2 3/20 6/20
3 7/20 21/20
4 3/20 12/20
 Mean and Variance of a
Probability Mass Function
At the end of the lesson, I should be able to:
- Illustrate and calculate the mean and variance of a PMF
 Compute for the Variance!
X P(X) X * P(X) X- P(X) *
1 3/20 3/20 -2.05 4.2025 0.630375
2 4/20 8/20 -1.05 1.1025 0.2205
3 6/20 18/20 -0.05 0.0025 0.00075
4 4/20 16/20 0.95 0.9025 0.1805
5 2/20 10/20 1.95 3.8025 0.38025
6 1/20 6/20 2.95 8.7025 0.435125
2
= 3.05 𝜎 =1.8475
 Compute for the Variance!
X P(X) X * P(X) X- P(X) *
0 0.10 0 -2.95 8.7025 0.87025
1 0.10 0.10 -1.95 3.8025 0.38025
2 0.15 0.30 -0.95 0.9025 0.135375
3 0.25 0.75 0.05 0.0025 0.000625
4 0.25 1 1.05 1.1025 0.275625
5 0.10 0.5 2.05 4.2025 0.42025
6 0.05 0.3 3.05 9.3025 0.465125

2
= 2.95 𝜎 =2.5475
Try this!
The number of adults living in homes on a
randomly selected city block is described by the
following probability distribution:
No. of adults, X 1 2 3 4
P(X) 0.25 0.50 0.15 0.10

What is the variance of this

distribution?
Try this!
A certain investment company is currently
offering three investment options
A B C
Possible P(X) Possible P(X) Possible P(X)
Return Return Return
55 pesos 0.5 0 pesos 0.5 0 pesos 0.3
45 pesos 0.5 100 pesos 0.5 50 pesos 0.4
100 pesos 0.3
Compute for the variance.