Chapter 1.

3
PROBLEMS INVOLVING
MEAN AND VARIANCE OF
DISCRETE RANDOM
VARIABLES
Recall how to get the
mean and variance of a
discrete probability
distribution.
Binomial Probability Distribution
Many types of probability problems can
have two outcomes or can be reduced to
two outcomes.
When a coin is tossed, it can land on either
head or tail. When a baby is born, it can
either be a boy or a girl. A true or false item
can be answered in two ways, T or F.
Answering a test can be correct or wrong.
Situations like these are called binomial
experiments
Binomial Probability Distribution
It must satisfy the following requirements:
1. Each trial has only two outcomes. The
outcome can be considered as success
or failure.
2. It has a fixed number of trials.
3. The outcome of each trial is
independent from each other.
4. The probability of success is the same in
each trial.
Binomial Probability Distribution
A binomial random variable X is defined as
the number of success achieved in the n
trials of the binomial experiment.
Formula:
P(X) = nCx px q n-x
where:
The binomial
P(X) is the probability of x distribution is
x is the random variable denoted by
p is the success
q is the failure (1 – p) X ~ Bin(n, p)
Binomial Probability Distribution
Problem 1:
A coin is tossed three times. What is the
probability of getting
a. exactly two heads;
b. less than two heads;
c. more than two heads;
d. at least two heads; and
e. at most two heads?
Binomial Probability Distribution
Problem 1:
n = 3, x = 2, p = 0.5 q = 0.5
C
3 2 (0.5) 2 (0.5) 3-2 = 0.3750 (exactly 2 heads)

Calculator in fx-991ES
times
Steps: Alpha X

1. Mode – Table – 3Cx x (0.5)x x (0.5)3 – x

2. Start 0 – End 3 – Step? 1
Binomial Probability Distribution
Problem 1:
n = 3, x = 2, p = 0.5 q = 0.5
C
3 2 (0.5) 2 (0.5) 3-2 = 0.3750 (exactly 2 heads)

Calculator in fx-991ES
Output: 0 0.1250
1 0.3750
2 0.3750
3 0.1250
Binomial Probability Distribution
Problem 1:
A coin is tossed three times. What is the
probability of getting
a. exactly two heads; P(X = 2) = 0.3750
b. less than two heads; P(X < 2) = 0.500
c. more than two heads; P(X > 2) = 0.1250
d. at least two heads; and P(X ≥ 2) = 0.500
e. at most two heads? P(X ≤ 2) = 0.8750
Binomial Probability Distribution
Problem 2:
In a 5-item test, a students randomly
guesses a 5-multiple choice question, find
the probability that a student gets exactly 3
correct answers.
Solution:
n = 5, x = exactly 3, p = 0.2, q = 0.8
P(X = 3) = 0.0512
Binomial Probability Distribution
Mean (Expected value), Variance and
Standard Deviation of Binomial Random
Variable:

Mean: 𝝁 = 𝑬 𝑿 = 𝒏𝒑
Variance: 𝝈𝟐 = 𝒏𝒑𝒒
Standard Deviation: 𝝈 = 𝒏𝒑𝒒
Binomial Probability Distribution
Problem 3:
A coin is tossed four times. Find the mean,
variance and sd of the number of heads
that will be obtained.
Solution:
Mean: 𝝁 = 𝒏𝒑 = 𝟒 𝟎. 𝟓 = 𝟐
Variance: 𝝈𝟐 = 𝒏𝒑𝒒 = 𝟒 𝟎. 𝟓 𝟎. 𝟓 = 𝟏
Standard Deviation: 𝝈 = 𝒏𝒑𝒒 = 1
Poisson Probability Distribution
A Poisson random variable counts the number of
occurrences of a certain event over a given period of
time or space.

Conditions of a Poisson process:

1. The number of successes within a specified time or space
interval equals and integer between zero and infinity.
2. The number of successes counted in non-overlapping
intervals are independent.
3. The probability that success occurs in any interval is the
same for all intervals of equal size and is proportional to the
size of the interval.
 Poisson Probability Distribution
Formula:
𝑒 −𝜇 𝜇 𝑥
𝑃 𝑋 =
𝑥!
where:
P(X) is the probability of x
e is the Euler function ~2.71828
𝜇 is the mean or (λ) the number of success in a trial
x is the random variable
Poisson Probability Distribution
Formula:
𝑒 −𝜇 𝜇 𝑥
𝑃 𝑋 =
𝑥!

Mean: 𝜇 = 𝐸 𝑋 = np
Variance: 𝜎2 = 𝜇
Standard Deviation: 𝜎= 𝜇
 Poisson Probability Distribution
Problem 4:
MS. Dela Cruz is concerned about the staff needs at a coffee
shop that she manages. She has specific questions about the
probability distribution of customer arrivals at her store. Ms. Dela
Cruz believes that the customer averages 18 visits to the store
over a 30-day period. She has the following sections:
a. How many customers should Ms. Dela Cruz expect in a 5-day
period?
b. What is the probability that a customer visits the chain five
times in a 5-day period?
c. What is the probability that a customer visits the coffee shop
no more than two times in a 5-day period?
d. What is the probability that a customer visits the coffee shop
at least three times in a 5-day period?
 Poisson Probability Distribution
18 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑠 3 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑠
a. 𝜇= =𝜇= 𝜇=3
30 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 5 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠

𝑒 −3 35 (0.0498)(243)
b. 𝑃 𝑋=5 = = = 0.1008
5! 120

c. P(X = 0) = 0.0498 P(X ≤ 2) = 0.4233

P(X = 1) = 0.1494
P(X = 2) = 0.2241

d. P(X ≥ 3) = 0.5767
 Poisson Probability Distribution
Problem 5:
If approximately 2% of 200 people in a room are left-
handed, find the probability that exactly 5 people
there are left-handed.

Solution:

𝜇 = 0.02 200 = 4
𝑒 −4 4 5
P(X = 5) = = = 0.1563
5!
 Poisson Probability Distribution
Problem 6:
Given an automated phone system that can answer
three calls in a five-minute period. Assume that calls
occur at an average rate of 1.2 every 5 minutes and
follow a Poisson distribution.
a. Compute the probability that no calls will occur
during the next 5 minutes.
b. What is the probability that exactly 7 calls will occur
during the next 15 minutes?
c. Calculate the probability that exactly 5 calls will
occur during the next 25 minutes.
Poisson Probability Distribution
Problem 6:

a. P(X = 0) = 0.3012
b. P(X = 7) = 0.0425
c. P(X = 5) = 0.1606
Problems on Discrete Probability Distribution

Assessment 1:
If 60% of women are employed outside
the home, find the probability that in a
sample of 20 women;
a. Exactly 15 are employed
b. At least 10 are employed.
Problems on Discrete Probability Distribution

Assessment 2:
If 4% of the population of trees are elm
trees, find the probability that in a
sample of 100 trees, there are exactly six
elm trees. (Assume the distribution is
approximately Poisson).
Next Topic….

Normal Distribution