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Understanding Random Variables and Distributions

The document discusses random variables, defining them as functions that assign real numbers to elements of a sample space, and categorizes them into discrete and continuous types. It explains probability distributions, expected values, variances, and specific distributions such as binomial, Poisson, and hypergeometric distributions, providing examples and formulas for calculating probabilities. The document emphasizes the importance of understanding these concepts for statistical analysis and problem-solving.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
71 views47 pages

Understanding Random Variables and Distributions

The document discusses random variables, defining them as functions that assign real numbers to elements of a sample space, and categorizes them into discrete and continuous types. It explains probability distributions, expected values, variances, and specific distributions such as binomial, Poisson, and hypergeometric distributions, providing examples and formulas for calculating probabilities. The document emphasizes the importance of understanding these concepts for statistical analysis and problem-solving.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DISTRIBUTION

RANDOM
VARIABLE
RANDOM VARIABLE

It is a v ari able whi c h i s a ru le or a


f uncti on tha t a ssi g ns exa ctl y one
re al nu mbe r to e ve ry el e me nt o f the
sa mple spa ce .

This i s de no ted by ca pi tal l ette r, sa y


X. The pos si bl e v alu es of a ran dom
va ria ble X is de note d by sm al l le tte r,
sa y x.
MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Experiment: Tossing two coins


Sample Space: S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}
X = number of tails

S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}


0 1 1 2

Therefore, X = { 0, 1, 2}
MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Experiment: Tossing two coins


Sample Space: S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}
Y = number of tail - number of head

S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}


-2 0 0 2

Therefore, Y = { -2, 0, 2}
TWO TYPES OF
RANDOM VARIABLE
TWO TYPES OF RANDOM VARIABLE

Discrete Random Variable


 It can assume a countable number of values.

Examples:
• Number of students in a class
• Number of women in a household
• Number of sales
• Number of calls
• Shares of stocks
• People in line
• Mistakes per page
TWO TYPES OF RANDOM VARIABLE

Continuous Random Variable


 one which takes an infinite number of possible values.

Examples:
• Length
• Depth
• Volume
• Time
• Weight
PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

It is a g ra ph, ta ble or f ormu la whi ch


su mma ri ze s a ll the po ssi ble val ue s of
a ra ndom va ria ble al ong with the i r
c orre spon ding pro ba bil iti e s.
MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Experiment: Tossing two coins


Sample Space: S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}
X = number of tails

S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}


0 1 1 2
Probability Distribution of Random Variable X
MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Experiment: Tossing two coins


Sample Space: S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}
Y = number of tail - number of head

S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}


-2 0 0 2
Probability Distribution of the Random Variable Y.
CHECKING THE PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION TABLE

To check whether the probability distribution is correct,


it must satisfies the following:

0 ≤ 𝑷(𝑿 = 𝒙) ≤ 1
∑P(X = x)=1

Probability Distribution of the Random Variable Y.


EXPECTED VALUE OF A
RANDOM VARIABLE

The e xpe c ted v alu e of a ra ndom


va ria ble X den ote d by E( X) i s

E(X)=∑x . p(x)
MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Experiment: Tossing two coins


Sample Space: S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}
X = number of tails
Probability Distribution of Random Variable X
MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Experiment: Tossing two coins


Sample Space: S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}
Y = number of tail - number of head
Probability Distribution of the Random Variable Y.
VARIANCE OF A RANDOM
VARIABLE

The var ia nce of a ra ndom va ri able X


de note d by V( X) i s

V(X)= E(𝑋 )−(E(X))


=∑ 𝑥 .p(X)−(∑x . p(x) )
MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Probability Distribution of Random Variable X


MOTIVATIONAL EXAMPLE

Probability Distribution of the Random Variable Y.


TYPES OF PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION

Assumptions:
o The experiment involves n identical trials
o Each trial has only two possible outcomes: Success (S) or
Failure (F)
o P(S) = p; P(F) = q = 1 – p
o Each trial is independent of the previous trials.
o x is the number of Successes in n trials
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION

A binomial random variable: Example: Flipping a coin.


o n identical trials o Flip a coin 3 times.
o Two outcomes: Success (S) or o Outcomes are Heads or
Failure (F) Tails
o P(S) = p; P(F) = q = 1 – p o P(H) = 0.5; P(T) = 0.50
o Trials are independent. o Trials are independent.
o x is the number of Successes in
n trials
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Consider an experiment of flipping a coin 3 times. Let X be the number of
heads observed. Construct the probability distribution of X
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Consider an experiment of flipping a coin 3 times. Let X be the number of
heads observed. Construct the probability distribution of X

Probability Distribution of the Random Variable X


BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Once we have the probability distribution table, we can answer
probability questions just by referring to the table.
Probability Distribution of the Random Variable X

1. What is the probability of observing exactly 3 heads?

2. What is the probability of observing at most one head?


BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Probability Distribution of the Random Variable X

3. What is the probability of observing at least 1 head?

4. What is the probability of observing greater than 1 head?


BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
But, if you already know that the random variable follows a binomial
distribution, there is a specific formula to construct the probability
distribution. The formula below is called the probability mass function of
a binomial distribution.

Where
x = the value of s random variable under consideration
n = the number of trials
p = probability of success
q = probability of failure
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Consider an experiment of flipping a coin 3 times. Let X be the number
of heads observed. Calculate the E(X) and V(X).
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Consider an experiment of flipping a coin 3 times. Let X be the number
of heads observed. Calculate the E(X) and V(X).
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Consider an experiment of flipping a coin 3 times. Let X be the number
of heads observed. Calculate the E(X) and V(X).
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Again, if you already know that the random variable
follows a binomial distribution, there is a specific formula
to compute the mean and variance of a binomial random
variable.
E(X)= np
V(X)= npq
Where
n = the number of trials
p = probability of success
q = probability of failure
BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Going back to the example. Consider an experiment of flipping a coin 3
times. Let X be the number of heads observed. Calculate the E(X) and
V(X).

E(X)= np = 3*(0.50)=1.50
V(X)= npq = 3*(0.50)*(0.50)= 0.75

These are exactly the answers we obtained from using the general
formula for the expected value and variance of random variable.
SUMMARY
If a random variable follows a binomial distribution, then

The expected value of a random variable is given by

The variance of a random variable is given by


POISSON DISTRIBUTION

o The experiment consists of counting the number of times, x, an


event occurs in a given interval. The interval can be interval of
time, space, area or volume.
o The probability of the event occurring is the same for each
interval (of time, space, area, or volume).
o The number of occurrences of the event in one interval is
independent of the number of occurrences in other intervals.
o The mean number of successes (i.e. expected number of
success; expected value), denoted by λ, is known over the
interval (of time, volume, area, length).
POISSON DISTRIBUTION

Probability Distribution Function


The probability of exactly x successes (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, . . .) over the
same interval of time (volume, area, etc.) is

Where
λ = expected(mean) number of 'successes’
e = 2.71828 (base of natural logs)
x = number of 'successes' per unit
POISSON DISTRIBUTION

Steps in Solving Poisson Distribution Problems


o Find the expected number of successes over the given
interval of time, area, space, population, etc
o Answer the question showing the probability notation.
o Unless otherwise stated, show all probabilities to the nearest
ten-thousandth (4 decimal places).
POISSON DISTRIBUTION

Example
A vintage car breaks down an average of four times per month.
Using the Poisson probability distribution formula, find the
probability that during the next month, the vintage car will have:

a. Exactly three breakdowns


b. At most two breakdowns
c. More than one breakdown
d. Between 3 and 5 (inclusive)
e. Create a distribution table for x=0,1,2,3,4,5 cars
POISSON DISTRIBUTION

Example
Find the probability of 4 customers arriving in 3 minutes when the
mean is 3.6.

Thus,
SUMMARY
If a random variable follows a Poisson distribution, then

The expected value of a random variable is given by

The variance of a random variable is given by


HYPERGEOMETRIC
DISTRIBUTION

Assumptions
o Sampling is done without replacement.
o The number of objects in the population, N, is finite and known.
o Each trial has exactly two possible outcomes: success and failure.
o Trials are not independent
o The random variable of interest is X which is the number of
successes in the n trials.

Finite Population
It is a population consisting of a fixed number of known individuals,
objects, or measurements.
HYPERGEOMETRIC
DISTRIBUTION

Probability Density Function

Where
N −population size
n −sample size
k −number of successes in population
x −number of successes in sample
HYPERGEOMETRIC
DISTRIBUTION

Example
PlayTime Toys, Inc., employs 50 people in the Assembly Department.
Forty of the employees belong to a union and ten do not. Five
employees are selected at random to form a committee to meet with
management regarding shift starting times. What is the probability that
four of the five selected for the committee belong to a union?

N −50
n −5
k −40
x −4
HYPERGEOMETRIC
DISTRIBUTION

Exercise
A batch contains 15 items of which 6 are defective. If five items are
taken at random without replacements, find the probability of having 4
defective items.
HYPERGEOMETRIC
DISTRIBUTION

Expected Value (Mean) of a Hypergeometric Random Variable

Variance of a Hypergeometric Random Variable


HYPERGEOMETRIC
DISTRIBUTION

Example
Five individuals from an animal population thought to be near
extinction in a certain region have been caught, tagged, and released
to mix into the population. After they have had an opportunity to mix, a
random sample of 10 of these animals is selected. Let x = the number
of tagged animals in the second sample. If there are actually 25
animals of this type in the region, what is the E(X) and V(X)?
N −25
n −10
k −5
SUMMARY
If a random variable follows a Hypergeometric distribution, then

The expected value of a random variable is given by

The variance of a random variable is given by


THANK
YOU

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