WHOLE BRAIN LEARNING SYSTEM

OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADE

STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY
11/12

3
LEARNING QUARTER

MODULE WEEK 1

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 MODULE IN
STATISTICS & PROBABILITY

QUARTER 3
WEEK 1

Random Variables, Probability

Distribution, and Its Properties
Development Team

Writers: Jerick S. Paltong Michael G. Calipjo

Ma. Teresa R. Pascual
Editors/Reviewers: Gerson Jeremy C. Antonio Gregorio P. Agatep, Jr.
Myla Fei Martinez
Illustrator: Jeshimon C. Patoc
Layout Artist: Jerick S. Paltong
Management Team:
Vilma D. Eda Arnel S. Bandiola
Lourdes B. Arucan Juanito V. Labao
Marlyn S. Ventura

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 What I Need to Know
You already have encountered some basic concepts in statistics and probability when you
are in junior high school. You have also found out that different real-life situations can be seen
and applied through statistics and probability, which means studying this subject is beneficial
and very important.

In this module, you will study more concepts in statistics and probability. Specifically, you
will learn about the random variable and their types. Distinguishing its type and finding its
possible values will be discussed so that you will have an understanding of random variables.
Also, the probability distribution for discrete variables and their properties will be presented in
this module.

Most Essential Learning Competencies:

The learner:

1. illustrates a random variable (discrete and continuous);

2. distinguish between a discrete and a continuous random variable;
3. find the possible values of a random variable; and
4. illustrates a probability distribution for a discrete random variable and its properties.

Objectives:
At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. recognize random variables and their types;

2. differentiate discrete and continuous random variable;
3. determine the possible values of a random variable; and
4. describe a probability distribution for a discrete random variable and its properties.

What I Know

Directions: Read each item carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer and write it on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the probability of getting a tail when tossing a coin?

1 1 1 1
A. B. C. D.
3 4 2 5

2. A card is drawn at random from a well-shuffled deck of cards. What is the probability of
drawing a face card?
2 3 4 5
A. B. C. D.
13 13 13 13

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3. How many outcomes are there when we toss two coins at the same time?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 4 D. 6
4. Which is an example of a discrete random variable?
A. Number of pens in a box
B. Amount of sugar in a milk tea
C. Grade point average of students
D. Weight of newborn babies for June

5. Which is an example of a continuous random variable?

A. Heights of varsity players in your school
B. Number of cars parked at the INCAT quadrangle
C. Number of households with an internet connection
D. Number of members of Congress who voted against the franchise renewal of ABS-
CBN

6. This is an activity that can be done repeatedly under similar conditions.

A. Event B. Experiment
C. Probability D. Sample Space

7. What is the sum of the probabilities of all random variables in a discrere probability
distribution?
A. Less than one B. Equal to one
C. Greater than one D. None of the above

8. A random variable X has the following probability distribution:

X 0 1 2 3 4
P(X) 0.11 0.32 0.24 0.05

What is the value of P(2)?

A. 0.27 B. 0. 28 C. 0.72 D. 0.82

9. Three coins are tossed. Let T be the number of tails that occurs. What would be the values
of the random variable T?
A. {0, 1, 2, 3} B. {0, 2, 3, 4}
C. {1, 2, 3, 4} D. {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}

10. What is the probability of obtaining exactly two heads in a toss of three coins?
3 5 6 7
A. B. C. D.
8 8 8 8

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 Lesson RANDOM VARIABLES
1 (DISCRETE AND
CONTINUOUS)

What’s In

Activity 1: Let Us Recall!

This activity requires you to recall the concepts of experiment and sample space that you
learned in Junior High School, which will direct you to the study of random variables.
Remember that an experiment is any procedure that can be done repeatedly under similar
conditions that generate a well-defined outcome, while a sample space is the set of all possible
experiment outcomes.

For example, tossing a coin is an experiment. When tossing a coin, its possible outcomes
are head (H) and tail (T). That means the sample space when tossing a coin is {H, T}.

Direction: Identify the sample space in each item. Write your answers using correct notations.
Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

What is the sample space (outcome)

in tossing two coins?

___________________________

What is the sample space (outcome) in

rolling a die?

______________________________

What is the sample space (outcome) in

drawing a spade from a deck of cards?

____________________________

What is the sample space (outcome) in

drawing a card greater than 6 from a
deck of cards?

____________________________

____________________________
 What’s New

In Activities 2 and 3, you will learn how to illustrate random variables and finding their
possible values. Also, in the following activities, you will know how to use the tree diagram in
identifying sample space.

Activity 2: Let Us Toss Coins!

Suppose three coins are tossed, determine its sample space. In each outcome, write
down the number of heads. Complete the table below. Write your answers on a separate sheet
of paper.

The number of
heads

HHH
The sample space when
HHT tossing three coins is:{ ___,
___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___,
___ }
HTH

HTT

THH
From the sample space, the
number of heads that came out
are: {___, ____, ____, ____ }
THT

TTH

TTT

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Activity 3: Let Us Compare!

Study the given table below and be able to answer the question that follows. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Discrete Random Variables Continuous Random

Variables
number of pencils in the box Amount of antibiotics in
the vial
number of soldiers in the troop The lifetime of light
bulbs in minutes
number of rotten tomatoes in The voltage of radio
the basket batteries
number of COVID 19 cases in Length of wire ropes
Ilocos Norte

1. How do you describe a discrete random variable?

___________________________________________________________________

2. How do you describe a continuous random variable?

______________________________________________________________

What is It

To explain further about random variables, get two coins from your wallet. What could
be the sample space when we toss that two coins at the same time? Let us find that out using
a tree diagram.

First Coin Second Coin Sample Space

HH

HT

TH

TT

Observe the given tree diagram above. When we toss two coins simultaneously then, the
possible outcomes are: (two heads) or (one head and one tail) or (one tail and one head) or
(two tails), i.e., in short (H, H) or (H, T) or (T, H) or (T, T) respectively; where H is denoted for
the head while T is denoted for the tail.
We can say that the sample space when tossing two coins is written as {HH, HT, TH, TT}.

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 If we are interested in the number of heads in the experiment, we can assign numbers
0, 1, and 2 for each of the four possible outcomes. Thus, we can write it as:

Sample Space Number of Heads

HH 2
HT 1
TH 1
TT 0

From the table above, instead of writing Number of Heads, we can denote it as X
whose elements (x1, x2, and x3) are 0, 1, and 2. In symbol,

X = {0, 1, 2}

Then X is called a random variable.

Definition

A random variable is a set whose elements are the numbers assigned to the
outcomes of an experiment. It is usually denoted by uppercase letters such as X, whose
elements are denoted by lower case letters, x1, x2, x3 and so on.

Now, you already understand what a random variable is. A random variable can be
classified into two types: discrete random variable and continuous random variable.
What do you think are the difference between these two types?

TYPES OF RANDOM VARIABLES

1. Discrete Random Variable – its set of possible outcomes is countable. Mostly,

discrete random variables represent count data.
Examples:
a. number of heads in tossing a coin thrice
b. scores of a student in a 5-item test

2. Continuous Random Variable – its set of possible outcomes takes on values on a

continuous scale. Often, continuous random variables represent measured data.
Examples:
a. weight
b. height
c. temperature

We are already done differentiating discrete random variables and continuous random
variables. How could we possibly find the values of a random variable? Let us study the given
examples.

Example 1: Throw a die once

Find random variable X that represents the score shown on the top face.

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Solution:

Observe that in the experiment, the sample space when throwing a die once is {1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6}. And the value of random variable X, which is the score shown on the top face, could be
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.
So, we could write random variable X in symbols as:
X = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

Example 2: Tossing three coins at the same time

Find random variable X that represents the number of tails in tossing three coins at the
same time.

Solution:
Observe that in the experiment, the sample space when simultaneously tossing the coins
is {HHH, HHT, HTH, HTT, THH, THT, TTH, TTT}. And the value of random variable X (number
of tails) could be 0 tail, 1 tail, 2 tails, or 3 tails.

So, we could write random variable X in symbols as:

X = {0, 1, 2, 3}

Note:
Examples 1 and 2 are discrete random variables because
their values can be counted and represented by whole
numbers.

Example 3:
X = Drop-out rate (%) in a certain high school
Solution:
X = {all real numbers from 0 to 100}
or it could be written as X = {x| 0 ≤ x ≤ 100}

Example 4:
X = weight (in mg) of a syrup that does not exceed 80 mg.

Solution:
X = {all real numbers from 0 to 80}
or it could be written as X = {x| 0 ≤ x ≤ 80}

Note:
Examples 3 and 4 are continuous random variables because
they have uncountable number of elements and cannot be
represented by whole numbers and its values arise from
measurement.

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 What’s More

Activity 4: Let Us Do It!

A. Directions: Write D if the statement represents a discrete random variable or C if it

represents a continuous random variable. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
_____1. the number of students randomly selected to be interviewed by a researcher
_____2. the weight in kilograms of randomly selected students
_____3. the hourly temperature last Sunday
_____4. the number of left-handed teachers randomly selected in a faculty room
_____5. the height of daisy plants in the backyard

B. Directions: Write all the possible values of each random variable as described. A sample is
given below:
X: Number of female among six students
Answer: X = { 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 }

1. X: Number of odd number outcomes in a roll of a die

_________________________________________
2. Y: Weight (in mg) of a powder that does not exceed 80 mg
___________________________________________
3. X: Number of heads in 4 flips of a coin
___________________________________________
4. Y: Length (in cm) of a shoelace that is not longer than 2 meters
___________________________________________
5. X: Scores of a student in a 10-item test
___________________________________________

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 What I Have Learned

1. A random variable is a set whose elements are the numbers assigned to the outcomes
of an experiment. It is usually denoted by capital letters such as X or Y.
2. There are two types of a random variable: discrete random variable and continuous
random variable.
3. A random variable is discrete when its set of possible outcomes is countable. Mostly,
discrete random variables represent count data.
4. A random variable is continuous when its set of possible outcomes takes on values on a
continuous scale. Often, continuous random variables represent measured data.

What’s More

Math Journal

Direction: Answer the following questions. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
Your answers will be evaluated based on depth of thinking, language used and
use of textual evidence and mathematical context.

1. How do you differentiate discrete random variables from continuous random variables?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

2. How do you find values of a random variable?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

3. What real-life situations illustrate random variables? Cite three examples.

a. _______________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________

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Rubric for Mathematics Journal

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 Lesson PROBABILITY
2 DISTRIBUTION AND ITS
PROPERTIES (Part 1)

What’s In
Activities 1 and 2 aim to help you recall how to make a simple frequency distribution
and understand better the concept of probability, which will lead you to the discussion of the
concept of the probability distribution. Remember that frequency is how often something
occurs. By counting frequencies, we can make a frequency distribution table.
Moreover, probability tells us how often some event will happen after many repeated
trials. In computing probability of events, we must follow this formula,

𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛

P(E) =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡

Note that an outcome is the result of a random experiment. For example, when rolling
a die, it has six possible outcomes. However, an event is a set of outcomes to which a
probability is assigned. One possible event is “rolling a number less than 4”.

Activity 1: Count Them In!

Directions: Construct a frequency distribution for these data. Fill up the table that follows. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
The following data show the participants’ first names and nationalities in the International
Conference on Human Rights held in the Philippines.
Mary (American) Pietro (Italian) Yuki (Japanese)
Frederick(German) Billy (American) Mara (German)
Hillary (American) Michael (Italian) Fabro (German)
Sakura (Japanese) Tomas (Filipino) Tamara (Japanese)
Josephine (Filipino) Jihoo (Korean) Gaara (Japanese)
Jervi (German) Nathan (American) Wendy (American)
Kevin (Italian) Gloria (Filipino) Chan (Chinese)
Ozawa (Japanese) Trump (German) Loki (Japanese)
Li Xi (Chinese) Minho (Korean) Josef (Italian)
Kira (Japanese) Larry (Filipino) Hover (American)

Nationality Number of Participants

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Activity 2: Probability of Events

Directions: Find the probability of the following events. Write your answers on a separate
sheet of paper.

Event ( E ) Probability P( E )
1. Getting an even number in a single roll of a die
2. Getting a sum of 6 when two dice are rolled
3. Getting a king when a card is drawn from a deck
4. The probability that all children are boys if a couple
has three children
5. Getting a blue marble from a box containing 3 blue
marbles and 6 white marbles

What’s New

Activity 3: Probability of Getting Ripe Oranges

Directions: Read the situation below, then study and follow the steps that follow. Answer the
given questions. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Lisa has a basket which contains 10 ripe and 4 unripe oranges. If 3 oranges are taken
from the basket one after the other, determine the random variable R’s possible values
representing the number of ripe bananas.

Step 1. List the sample space of this experiment. Let R represent the ripe oranges and let U
represent the unripe bananas.

S = {RRR, RRU, RUR, URR, UUR, URU, RUU,UUU}

Step 2. Count the number of ripe oranges (R) in each outcome and assign this number to this
outcome.

Outcome Number of Ripe oranges

(Value of R)
RRR 3
RRU 2
RUR 2
URR 2
UUR 1
URU 1
RUU 1
UUU 0

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Step 3. Construct the frequency distribution of the values of the random variable R.

Number of Ripe Oranges Number of Occurrences

(Values of R) Outcome/s (Frequency)

3 RRR 1
2 RRU, RUR, URR 3
1 UUR, URU, RUU 3
0 UUU 1
Total 8

Step 4. Construct the probability distribution of the random variable R by getting the probability
of occurrence of each value of the random variable.

Number of Ripe Number of Probability

Oranges Occurrence P(R)
(Values of R) (frequency)

3 1 1
8
2 3 3
8
1 3 3
8
0 1 1
8
Total 8 1

The probability distribution of the random variable R can be written as follows:

R 0 1 2 3

P(R) 1 3 3 1
8 8 8 8

Examine the probability distribution that we have obtained in the example.

What do you notice about the probability values of the random variable in each probability
distribution?
_________________________________________
What is the sum of the probabilities of a random variable?

_________________________________________

All probabilities must be between and .

The sum of the probabilities must add up to .

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 What is It
The last table presented in the previous discussion is an example of a Probability
Distribution, specifically Discrete Probability Distribution.

A discrete probability distribution is a table showing all the possible values of a

discrete random variable together with their corresponding probabilities.

Illustrative Example:
In the experiment of tossing a coin twice, there are four possible outcomes: HH, HT,
TH, and TT. If X is a random variable representing the number of tails in the outcomes, then:
X = {0, 1, 2}

We can see that there is no tail in the outcome HH, 1 tail in the outcomes HT and TH,
1
and 2 tails in the outcome TT. Therefore, the probability that 0 tails will come out P(0) is , the
4
2 1
probability that 1 tail will come out P(1) is or , while the probability that 2 tails will come out
4 2
1
P(2) is .
4
Presenting these probabilities in a table would give us:

x 0 1 2

P(x) 1 1 1
4 2 4

Note:

Some books use P(X=x) instead of P(x). These are just the same.

Properties of Discrete Probability Distribution

If X is a random variable with n elements, then

1. Each of the probabilities, P(x), has a value ranging from 0 to 1.
0 ≤ P(x) ≤ 1
2. The sum of the probabilities must add up to 1.
P(x1) + P(x2) + P(x3) +…+ P(xn) = ΣP(x) = 1
Illustrative Example:

Is the distribution below a discrete probability distribution?

y 1 3 5

P(Y) 0.12 0.82 0.06

Solution:

The distribution must satisfy that (a) each probability value P(Y=y) must be from 0
through 1, and (b) the sum of the probabilities P(Y=y) is 1.

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 a) All probability values are between 0 and 1.
b) The sum of the probability values
0.12 + 0.82 + 0.06 = 1
Therefore, the distribution is a discrete probability distribution.

Note:

If the distribution fails to satisfy any of the properties of

discrete probability distribution, we can conclude that the
distribution is NOT a discrete probability distribution.

What’s More
Activity 4: Let Us Do It!

Directions: Determine whether the distribution represents a probability distribution. Explain

your answer. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1.

X 1 5 8 7 9
1 1 1 1 1
P(X)
3 3 3 3 3

2.

X 0 2 4 6 8
1 1 1 1 1
P(X)
6 6 3 6 6

3.

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

4.

X 1 3 5 7
P(X) 0.35 0.25 0.22 0.12

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 What I Have Learned

1. A discrete probability distribution is a table showing all the possible values of a discrete
random variable together with their corresponding probabilities.
2. A distribution could be a discrete probability distribution if and only if the following
properties are satisfied:
If X is a random variable with n elements, then

a. Each of the probabilities, P(x), has a value ranging from 0 to 1.

0 ≤ P(x) ≤ 1
b. The sum of the probabilities must add up to 1.
P(x1) + P(x2) + P(x3) +…+ P(xn) = ΣP(x) = 1

What I Can Do

Directions: Given below is a situation and its step-by-step procedure in constructing a

probability distribution, which is already answered for you. Your job is to check for
errors in the solution. If there are errors, do the following in the table after the test
sample and write your answers on a separate sheet of paper:

1. Identify the errors.

2. Correct the errors.
3. Then explain why your correction is right.

ANSWERED TEST WITH ERRORS:

Problem:

A coin is tossed four times. Let T be the number of tails that come out. Is the distribution
below a discrete probability distribution? Why or why not?

Solution:
Step 1. The sample space of this experiment is:
{HHHH, HHHT, HHTH, HHTT, HTHH, HTHT, HTTH, HTTT, THHH, THHT, THTH,
THTT, TTHH, TTHT, TTTH, TTTT}

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 Step 2.
Outcomes No. of Tails
HHHH 0
HHHT 1
HHTH 1
HHTT 2
HTHH 1
HTHT 2
HTTH 2
HTTT 3
THHH 1
THHT 2
THTH 2
THTT 3
TTHH 2
TTHT 3
TTTH 3
TTTT 4

Step 3.
Number of Tails Frequency
0 1
1 4
2 6
3 4

Step 4.
t 0 1 2 3
P(t) 1/16 1/4 3/8 1/4

Is the distribution a discrete probability distribution? Why or why not?

The distribution is not considered as discrete probability distribution because the sum
of the probabilities is not equal to 1.

Identified Error Correction of Error Explanation of Correction

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 Assessment

Directions: Read each item carefully. Select the correct answer among the choices given and
write the letter of your choice. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the probability of obtaining exactly two heads in a toss-of-three?

1 3 5 7
A. B. C. D.
4 8 8 8

2. In how many ways can two dice fall?

A. 12 B. 24 C. 36 D. 48

3. What is the probability of obtaining a diamond in a single draw of a card from a deck?
1 1 2 1
A. B. C. D.
4 3 3 5

4. Which of the following choices is an example of a discrete random variable?

A. speed of a car
B. number of female athletes
C. time needed to finish the test
D. weight of newborns each year in a hospital

5. Which of the following choices is an example of a continuous random variable?

A. amount of sugar in a cup of coffee
B. number of voters favoring a candidate
C. number of deaths attributed to COVID-19
D. number of accidents per year at an intersection

6. The set of all possible outcomes in an experiment.

A. Experiment B. Sample Space
C. Event D. Probability

7. Which of the choices will correctly complete the statement below?

The sum of all probabilities in a probability distribution is ____________________.
A. equal to one B. less than one
C. greater than one D. None of the above

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8. Given a probability distribution below,

Is it a discrete probability distribution? Why or why not?

A. Yes, because the sum of its probabilities is equal to 1.
B. No, because each probability is not equal to 1.
C. Yes, because each probability is less than one.
D. No, because one of its probabilities is negative.
9. Four coins are tossed. Let T be the number of tails that occurs. What would be the values
of the random variable T?
A. {0, 1, 2, 3} B. {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}
C. {1, 2, 3, 4} D. none of the above

10. What is the probability of obtaining a prime number in a single throw of a die?
1 1 1 1
A. B. C. D.
2 3 4 6

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22
6. {1, 3, 5}
What I Know 7. {x/ 0 ≤ x ≤ 80}
1. C 8. {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}
2. B 9. { x/ 0 ≤ x ≤ 2}
3. C 10. {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}
4. A
5. A Lesson 2
6. B What’s In
7. B Activity 1: Simple Frequency Distribution
8. B Nationality Frequency
9. A American 6
10. A German 5
Filipino 4
Lesson 1 Chinese 2
What’s In Italian 4
Activity 1: Let Us Recall! Korean 2
1. {HH, HT, TH ,TT} Japanese 7
2. {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
3. {K, Q, J, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10} Activity 2: Probability Events
4. {7♣, 7♦, 7♥, 7♠, 8♣, 8♦, 8♥, 8♠, 9♣, 9♦, 1. ½ 4. 1/8
9♥, 9♠,10♣, 10♦, 10♥, 10♠} 2. 5/36 5. 1/3
3. 1/13
What’s New
Activity 2: Let Us Toss Coins! What’ New
Number of Heads (top to bottom) Activity 3: Knowing More about
{3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 0} Probability Distribution of Random
Variables
The sample space when tossing three 1. Greater than 0 but less than 1
coins is {HHH, HTH, HHT, HTT, THH, 2. The sum of the probabilities of the random
THT, TTH, TTT} variable is 1.
3. 0, 1
The random variable X represents the 4. 1
number of heads occur.
What’s More
The values of the random variable X are Activity 4: Let’s Do It
{0, 1, 2, 3} 1. No 3. No
2. Yes 4. No
Activity 3: Let Us Compare!
Answers may vary among students but the Assessment
key words are countable (for discrete) and 1. B
measurement (for continuous). 2.C
3.A
What’s More 4.B
Activity 4: Let Us Do It 5.A
1. D 6.B
2. C 7.A
3. C 8.D
4. D 9. B
5. C 10.A
Answer Key
References

Alonzo, George A. 2017. Statistics and Probability for Senior High School. Salinlahi
Publishing House, Inc.

Bangon, Ricardo Jr. B., Maita G. Camilon, and Catalina B. Manalo. 2016. Statistics and
Probability for Senior High School. Cubao, Quezon City: Educational Resources
Corporation.

Belecina, Rene R., Elisa S. Baccay, and Efren B. Mateo. 2016. Statistics and Probability.
Manila, Philippines: Rex Publishing.

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