Saint Joseph College

Senior High School Department

Tunga- Tunga, Maasin City,
Southern Leyte 6600
Philippines

MODULE 1 – Random Variables and Probability Distributions

LESSON 1: Random Variable

Learning Competencies
 The learner is able to illustrate a random variable (discrete and continuous)
 The learner is able to distinguish between a discrete and a continuous random
variable.
 The learner is able to find the possible values of a random variable

Probability distributions play an important role in the application of Statistics. They are
used to model the behavior of many variables of interest.

Definition of Terms:
1. Random Variable – is a function whose value is a real number determined by each
element in the sample space
2. Sample Space - the set of all possible outcomes of an experiment and is denoted by
S.

The variables that are measured in most scientific studies, whose values occur by
chance, are called to be “random variables”. These are assumed to follow a probability
distribution when used in a statistical analysis.

Random Variables
 The random variables in Statistics and probability are not the same with the
variables that we had with algebra. Random variables are usually denoted by
capital letters.
  Ways to map outcomes of random processes to numbers. (Outcomes →
Numbers), Simply you are quantifying the outcomes [measurable].
 Random process refers to something like: flipping a coin, rolling dice, and or
you’re measuring the rain that might fall tomorrow.

EXAMPLES

1) Let X, be the random variable (flipping a coin)

{
X = 1 if heads
0 if tails
Notice: We have taken the random process of flipping a coin and we’ve mapped the
outcomes of that random process and we quantified them (1 if heads, 0 if tails).

2) Let Y, be the sum of upward faces after rolling 7 dice

Notice: We are quantifying an outcome for a random process (rolling the 7 dice) and seeing
what sides show up on top and then we’re taking those and quantifying the process by
taking the sum thus defining our random variable which is Y.

So the question is, why

are we doing this?

“It will become more apparent as we go a little bit deeper into probability but the simple
way of thinking about it is as soon as you quantify outcomes you can start to do a little
more Math on the outcomes and you can start to use more mathematical notations on
the outcome.”
Let’s take example 2, if we want to find the probability that the sum after rolling the 7 dice
is less than or equal to 30,

The old way: P ( that the ∑ of upward faces after rolling 7 dice ≤ 30 )

But now: P(Y ≤ 30)

**Note: P stands for probability.
Let’s say we want to find the probability in example 2 that the sum is even,
WeHow
will just P(Y is even)from
say: different
is this
traditional variable?

Like, x +5=6 or y=x +7 , usually represented by lower case letters. Like the first equation you
can assign values for x or solve for x which is equal to 1. And then on the second equation
you can assign values of x and see how y varies as a function of x.
That’s not going to be the case with random variables, random variable can take on many
different values with different probabilities and it makes more sense to talk about the
probability of a random variable equaling a value or the probability that it is less than or
equal to 30 and or the probability that has some property (Y is even).

Sample Space
 The set of all possible outcomes that can occur.
**Now let’s say if we toss a fair coin (1), what are the possible outcomes?
Answer: There’s only two possibilities (Heads, Tails)
**Now suppose we have 2 coins, what are the possible outcomes?
Answer: {HH, TH, TT, HT, TH, TT}, see how TH and TT repeats? Now we will count them as
one so the final answer is {HH, HT, TH, TT}. But we can determine it better also by using a
tree diagram, shown below:

1st Coin 2nd Coin

H
H
T
H
T
T
Therefore, S={HH , HT ,TH , TT }
 desired outcomes
P ( A )=
total outcomes

0 ≤ P(A )≤ 1
What this means is that the probability of an event “A” is equal to the desired outcome over
the total outcomes (sample space).

This means that the probability of an event occurring is between zero and one.
 If the probability is 0, it means that it will “never happen”.
 IfACTIVITY
the probability is 1, it means that it will always happen of the occurrence is 100%
 Say for example you have, P ( A )=0.3 , this means that the probability has a 30%
chance of occurring.

Directions: List the sample space of the following experiments.

Experiment Sample Space
1. Tossing three coins.
2. Rolling a die and tossing a coin
simultaneously.
3. Drawing a spade from a deck of cards.
4. Getting a defective item when two items are
randomly selected from a box of two defective
 and three non-defective items.
5. Drawing a card greater than 7 from a deck of
cards.

ANSWERS:
1) 8
2) 12
3) 52
4) 5
5) 52

1) A coin is tossed 3 times. Let X ,be the random variable denoting the number of

heads. Find the values of the random variable X .

Solution: To do this, first identify all the possible outcomes of the given statistical
experiment. Determine the specific random variable defined in the problem i.e.

Outcomes TTT TTH THT THH HTT HTH HHT HHH

X =no . of heads 0 1 1 2 1 2 2 3
Therefore, the possible values of the random variable X are 0, 1, 2 & 3.

2) Suppose three cell phones are tested at random where D represent the defective cell

phone and N represent the non-defective cell phone. Let X represents the number of

defective cell phones that occur, show the values of the random variable X .
Solution:
Outcomes NNN DNN DDN DDD
X= no. of defective
cellphones 0 1 2 3
Answer: X {0, 1, 2, 3}

3) Two balls are drawn in succession without replacement from an urn containing 5 red

balls and 6 blue balls. Let Z be the random variable representing the number of blue

balls. Find the values of the random variable Z .

Solution:
Outcomes RR RB BR BB
Z=no. of blue balls 0 1 1 2
Answer: Z {0, 1, 2}

4) A pair of dice is rolled. Let Y be the random variable denoting the sum of the points

on the upturned faces of the dice. Find the values of the random variable Y .
Solution: The specific random variable and the possible outcomes of the given
statistical experiment are as follows:

(1,1) (1,2) (1,3) (1,4) (1,5) (1,6) (2,6) (3,6) (4,6) (5,6) (6,6)

(2,1) (2,2) (2,3) (2,4) (2,5) (3,5) (4,5) (5,5) (6,5)

(3,1) (3,2) (3,3) (3,4) (4,4) (5,4) (6,4)

Outcomes
(4,1) (4,2) (4,3) (5,3) (6,3)

(5,1) (5,2) (6,2)

(6,1)

Y =sum 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Therefore, the possible values of the random variable Y are 2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Discrete/Continuous Random Variable

If a random variable takes only a finite number of values or if the set of

possible outcomes is countable, then it is called discrete random
EXAMPLES variable. Otherwise, if it takes on any value in a continuous
scale then it is called continuous random variable.
 Discrete – distinct/separate value
 Continuous – any value in interval
 1) X = {
1 if heads
0 if tails
is this discrete or continuous?

Now, this random variable right here can take on distinct values, it can take on either
1 or it could take on 0. You can also count the number of different values it can take
on, the first is 1, the second is 0. So, example 1 is clearly discrete random variable.

2) Y =exact mass of a randomanimal selected at the Zoo

So, is this example discrete or continuous?

Now, in the zoo you will get values closer to zero but not zero, for example ants, dust
mite or even a bacterium and it could go up to 5,000 kg for example an animal like
an elephant. Now any animal could have a mass anywhere in between 0-5,000kg,
there is no discrete value, you could have an animal weighing 100 kg or 107.5341 kg,
so you can take any value in between 0 and 5,000 there is no distinct value, this is
clearly a continuous random variable.

Some examples of discrete random variables:

1. Number of hearts drawn from a deck of playing cards.
2. Number of heads in 3 tosses of a fair coin.
3. Number of persons in a city objecting to a new ordinance
Some examples of continuous random variable:
1. Weight of persons
2. Height of a person
3. Percentage of the students who passed the exam
4. Income/Money

ACTIVITY

Directions: Classify the following random variables as discrete or continuous.

1. The number of defective computers produced by a manufacturer in a certain school
2. The weight of newborns each year in a hospital
3. The number of siblings in a family of a region
 4. The amount of paint utilized in a classroom building project of ICNHS
5. The number of dropouts in a school district for a period of 10 years
6. The speed of a car
7. The number of female athletes of the Sports track
8. The time needed to finish the test
9. The amount of sugar in a cup of coffee
10. The number of people who are playing LOTTO each day
11. The number of accidents per year at an intersection
12. The number of voters favoring a candidate
13. The number of patient arrivals per hour at a medical clinic
14. The average amount of electricity consumed per household per month
15. The number of deaths per year attributed to lung cancer

EXAMPLE
LESSON 2: DISCRETE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

Is a table or a formula that lists the probabilities for each outcome of the random
variable, X.

1. Flip 3 coins at the same time

Let random variable X be # of heads showing.

DISCRETE PROB DIST

HHH – 3 heads
HHT – 2 heads
HTH – 2 heads
HTT – 1 head
THH – 2 heads
THT – 1 head
TTH – 1 head
TTT – 0 heads
outcomes 0 1 2 3
P( X ) 1/ 3/8 3/ 1/8
8 8
If we check, the sum of all our probabilities is equal to 1
2. Probability distribution for X, which is the sum of two rolled dice

outcomes 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
P( X ) 4/3 3/3
1/36 2/36 3/36 5/36 6/36 5/36 4/36 2/36 1/36
6 6

3. Construct a probability distribution or the probability mass function of discrete

random variable X ; X is the number of heads when a coin is tossed thrice. Make a
histogram for this probability distribution.

Solution: Constructing a probability distribution or the probability mass function of

discrete random variable X can be done in two ways: the tabular form and the
equation form. For the tabular form, it includes all the possible outcomes, the random
variable and the probability i.e.
TTT TT TH TH HT HT HH HH
Outcomes
H T H T H T H
X = number of 0 1 1 2 1 2 2 3
heads

Thus,
X =number of heads 0 1 2 3
P(X) 1/8 3/8 3/8 1/8

{
1/8, if x=0
3/8, if x=1
P ( X )=
3/8, if x=2
For the equation form,
1/8, if x=3 . The histogram for this probability
distribution is illustrated below:
 2/5

1. List the possible

2/7
values of the following
PROBABILITY p(x)

1/5 random variables.

Find the probability
1/9 distribution or the
probability mass
0
0 1 2 3 function of discrete
NUMBER OF HEADS
random variable. Make
a histogram for each
probability distribution below.

a. Let Y be the random variable denoting the sum of the points on the upturned faces of
the dice when a pair of dice is rolled.
Solution: Using the tabular form, the probability distribution or the probability mass

function of the discrete random variable Y is

Y= sum of
the points
on the 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
upturned
faces
1/
P (Y ) 1/9 5/36 1/9 1/12 1/36
1/36 1/18 1/12 5/36 2 1/18
Below is the histogram of the table:

9/50
4/25
7/50
3/25
1/10
P(Y)

2/25
3/50
1/25
1/50
0
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
SUM OF THE POINTS

b. Let Z be the random variable denoting the number of heads when a coin is tossed five
times.
Solution: The probability distribution or the probability mass function of

the discrete random variable Z is

 Z = number of heads 5 4 3 2 1 0
P (Z ) 1/32 5/32 5/16 5/16 5/32 1/32

Below is the histogram of the table:

7/20
Remarks: (Properties
3/10
of a Probability
1/4

1/5
Distribution)
P(Z)

3/20 1. The values of a

1/10 probability
1/20 distribution are
0 probabilities;
5 4 3 2 1 0
NUMBER OF HEADS they must be
numbers on the

interval from 0 to 1. In symbol, we write it as 0≤P ( x )≤1 .

2. The sum of all the values of a probability distribution must be equal to 1. In symbol,

we write it as ∑ P ( x )=1 .

Activity 2. Can you justify me?

Directions: Determine whether the distribution represents a probability distribution.

Justify your answer.

1. X 1 5 8 7 4. X 4 8 12 15 17
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
P(X) 3 3 3 3
P(X) 5 8 8 5 8

2. X 0 2 4 6 5. X 1 3 5 7
1 1 1 1 P(X) 0.35 0.25 0.22 0.12
P(X) 6 6 3 6

3. X 1 2 3 5
P(X) 1 1 1 1
4 8 4 8