Eample 24 Two cards are drawn successively wiih renlacement from a well-shuffled
eck of 52 cards. Findthe probabiliy
distribution of the number of aces.
SolutionThe number of aces is a random variable. Letit be denoted by X. Clearly,
can take the values 0, I,or 2. X
Now, since the draws are done with replacement, therefore, the two draws form
independent experiments.
Therefore, P(X = 0) = P(non-ace and non-ace)
= P(non-ace) × P(non-ace)
48 48 144
-X
52 52 169
P(X =1) = P(ace and non-ace or non-ace and ace)
=P(ace and non-ace) + P(non-ace and ace)
= P(ace). P(non-ace) + P (non-ace). P(ace)
4 48 48 4 24
XtX
52 52 52 52 169
and P(X = 2) = P (ace and ace)
4 4 I
-X
52 52 169
Thus, the required probability distribution is
X 0
144 24 1
P(X) i69 169
169
ample 25 Find the probability distribution of number off doublets in three throws of
pair of dice.
S62
MATHEMATICS
bOlution Let X denote the number of doublets. Possible doublels ae
(1,1),(2,2), (3,3), (4,4), (5,5), (6.6)
Clearly,Xcan take the value 0, 1, 2. or 3.
6 1
Probability of getting adoublet =36 6
5
Probability of not getting adoublet =I 6
5 5 5 125
Now P(X = 0) = P (no doublet) = 6 6 6 216
P(X = 1) = P (one doublet and two non-doublets)
5 5 15
1 5-X+XX=t 5 5 1
=
6666^
6 6 6
75
3
6 6 216
P(X = 2) = P (two doublets and one non-doublet)
1 1 5 ,1 5 1 , 5 1 1 15 15
6 6 6 6 6 * 216
6 6 6 6
and P(X = 3) = P (three doublets)
=
1,1,1_
X-X
1
6 6 6 216
Thus, the required probability distribution is
X 0 1 2 3
125 75 15 1
P(X) 216 216 216 216
Verification Sum of the probabilities
125
125
+
75 15 +
i=l =216216 216 21l6
125 +75 + 15+1 216
=1
216 216
PROBABILITY S63
ample 26 Let Xdenote the number of hours you study during arandomly selected
hool day. The probability that Xcan take the valuesx, has the following form, where
tis Some unknown constant
0.1, if x0
|k,if x=lor 2
P(X = x) =
|k(5-x), if=3or4
0, otherwise
(a) Find the value of k.
(b) What is the probability that youstudy at least two hours ?Exactly two hours? At
mosttwo hours?
SolutionThe probability distribution of Xis
X 2 3 4
P(X) 0.1 k 2k 2k
(a) We know that L. =1
Therefore 0.1 +k+ 2k +2k +k=1
ie. k=0.15
(b) P(you study at least two hours) = P(X 2 2)
=P(X =2) +P(X= 3) +P(X= 4)
=2k + 2k +k= 5k = 5 x0.15 = 0.75
P(you study exactly two hours) = P(X = 2)
= 2k =2 x 0.15 = 0.3
P(you study at most two hours) = P(Xs 2)
=P(X=0) +P(X = 1) +P(X =2)
=0.1+k+ 2k=0.1 +3k =0.l +3 x0.15
=0.55
13.6.2 Mean of arandom variable
In many problems,it is desirable to describe some feature of the random variable by
means of asingle number that can be computcd from its probability distribution. Few
Such numbers are mean, median and mode. In this section, we shalldiscusS mean only.
Mean is a measure of location or central tendency in the sense that it roughly locates a
middle or average value of the random variable.
S64 MATHEMATICS
Definition 6 Let Xbe arandom variable whose possible values x,, Xy y *, , OCCur
with probabilities P P Ps.,. P,, respectively. The mean of X, denoted by H, is the
numberX,p, i.e. the mean of Xis the weighted average of
the possible values of y
i=l
which itoccurs.
each value being weighted by its probability with
expectation of X, denoted hu
The meanof a random variable X is also called the
E(X).
Thus, E(X)= u=24P = X,P,+ X,P, + .. +,P,
/=l
variable X is the sum of the
Inother words, the mean or expectation of a random
products of all possible values of X by their respective probabilities.
Example27Let a pair of dice be thrown and the random variable X be the sum of the
numbers that appear on the two dice. Find the mean or expectation of X.
Solution The sample space of the experiment consists of 36 elementary events in the
form of ordered pairs (x,, y), where x, = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and y = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
The random variable X i.e. the sum of the numbers on the two dice takes the
values 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8,9, 10, 11 or 12.
Now P(X = 2) = P({(1,)}) 36
2
P(X =3) =P({(1,2), (2,1)))=36
3
P(X = 4)= P({(1,3). (2,2), (3,1)}) =36
4
PX =5) =P(|(1,4), (2,3). (3,2), (4,1)|)= 36
5
P(X =6) = P({(1,5). (2.4), (3,3), (4,2), (5,1)|) =36
6
P(X =7) =P({(1,6). (2,5), (3,4), (4,3), (5,2), (6,1))=;36
P(X =8) =P((2,6). (3,5), (4.4), (5,3), (6,2)|) =36
PROBABILITY 565
4
P(X =9)= P({(3,6), (4,5), (5,4), (6,3) ))=h
3
P(X =10) =P({(4,6).(5,5), (6,4)))=36
2
P(X = 11) = P({(5,6), (6,5) )) =;36
P(X = 12) = P({(6,6) }) =:36
The probability distribution of X is
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12
X or x
1' 2 3 4 5 6 5 4 3 2 1
PX) or PA 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36
Therefore,
1 2 3 4
H= E(X) = Lxp, =2x 36-+3x-+4X+5X
i=l
36 36 36
5 6 5 4 3 2
+6x +7X +8x +9X+10x+11x+12x
36 36 36 36 36 36 36
2+6+12 + 20 +30+ 42 +40 + 36+ 30 +22 + 12
=7
36
Thus. the mean of the sum of the numbers that appear on throwing two fair dice is 7.