Republic o f the Philippines

Department of Education
Caraga Administrative Region
Division of Butuan City

WEEKLY LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY
Quarter 3, Week 1
Random Variables and Probability Distributions

Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC)

1. Illustrate a random variable (discrete and continuous) (M11/12SP-IIIa-1);
2. distinguish between a discrete and a continuous random variable(M11/12SP-
IIIa-2);
3. find the possible values of a random variable (M11/12SP-IIIa-3);
4. illustrate a probability distribution for a discrete random variable and its
properties(M11/12SP-IIIa-4);
5. compute probabilities corresponding to a given random variable(M11/12SP-
IIIa-6);
6. illustrate the mean and variance of a discrete random variable(M11/12SP-IIIb-
1);
7. calculate the mean and the variance of a discrete random variable (M11/12SP-
IIIb-2);
8. interpret the mean and the variance of a discrete random variable (M11/12SP-
IIIb-3); and
9. solve problems involving mean and variance of probability distributions
(M11/12SP-IIIb-4).

Background Information for Learners

The Concept of Random Variables

A random variable is a variable whose value is unknown or a function that assigns
values to each of an experiment's outcomes. Random variables are often designated by letters
and can be classified as discrete, which are variables that have specific values, or continuous,
which are variables that can have any values within a continuous range. Random variables
are often used in econometric or regression analysis to determine statistical relationships
among one another.
This lesson you will be able to learn about the concept of random variables and it's
illustration whether it is discrete or continuous. You may also be able to encounter words and
terminologies that may guide you throughout the lesson.

A random variable may be confusing to you at first especially if you associate it with
the common variables that we use in algebra. Let us differentiate:

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 Variable Random Variable
 written in small letter  written in capital letter

give value to equations like x +2=9  a random variable could be X= the number
of dots facing up after rolling a die

In this case can only take on a
distinct value and that is 7
Notice how the random process of rolling
a die gives you a random outcome each
time you perform the experiment. Rolling
once may give you 5, and rolling again
may give you 6, and again 4; I think you
see the point here. Hence it is called a
“random” variable.

 Additionally, we also consider as a

numerical type of data because the outcomes
of the said random variable are numerical in
nature.

A random variable may also be used to quantify unquantifiable processes. For

example, in the random variable Y = sex of college student applicants.

Possible outcomes: male or female

Characteristic: categorical (non-numerical)

It would be very difficult to perform mathematical operations on such kinds of data so

we have to find a way to convert these data into numbers. We could assign the value 0 for
male and 1 for female.

Note: The values “0 and 1” are just models/examples. You may use other values like 10, 500,
and even 2,020. Still, the values 0 and 1 are most commonly used in statistics.

Below are some more examples of random variables:

➢ Number of defective cell phones produced in a manufacturing factory daily

➢ Amount of paint needed to repaint a room
➢ Amount of time needed to walk from home to school
➢ Gender of students taking up BS Criminology
➢ Height of applicants for the Miss Universe pageant

There are two varieties of random variables that are numerical in nature:

DISCRETE RANDOM CONTINUOUS RANDOM

VARIABLE VS VARIABLE

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Let us differentiate.

Discrete Random Variable Continuous Random Variable

its values are obtained through counting its values are obtained through
Examples: measurement
✓
number of rotten bananas in a Examples:
bunch of bananas, ✓ growth of tomato seedlings per
✓
number of honor students in a class, week,
and ✓ time needed to finish an exam, and
✓
number of tiles needed ✓ weight of pigs after 3 months
✓
number of tiles needed to cover a floor.

the sample space is finite (can be counted)

because each sample has a space between
them
there are infinite elements in the sample
space wherein each sample are so closely
packed such that infinite number of elements
can fit throughout the sample space

Note: A sample space is the set of all possible outcomes in a random experiment.
Here are some more examples of discrete and continuous random variables.

Discrete Random Variable Continuous Random Variable

Total number of spots in rolling two dice Power consumption of an appliance

Number of pages in a chapter of a book Body temperature of a person

Number of appliances in a household Cloth needed to make a dress

Total number of all animals in a farm Length of a piece of chalk

Number of cards drawn pH level of an acid

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Activity 1 Classify the following random variables as DISCRETE or CONTINUOUS.
1. Length of a cell phone charger ____________________
2. Number of gadgets in a household ____________________
3. Count of words encoded per minute ____________________
4. Amount of water consumed per day ____________________
5. Sum of burgers sold in a day ____________________
6. Amount of time needed to boil a liquid ____________________
7. Number of channels in a cable TV ____________________
8. Daily count of visitors in a mall ___________________
9. Distance between two barangays ____________________
10. Total area of a rice field ____________________

Activity 2: Classify the following random variables as Discrete or Continuous Random

Variables. Write DRV if it is Discrete while CRV if Continuous.

____________ 1. Time to finish a race

____________ 2. Number of diamonds in a poker hand

____________ 3. Height of 100 students

____________ 4. Number of doubles in roll of two dice

____________ 5. Hours of spent answering a test

____________ 6. Your weight before breakfast each morning

____________ 7. The number of ships in Pearl Harbor on any given day.

____________ 8. The distance of golf ball travels after being hit with a driver.

____________ 9. The number of traffic fatalities per year in the state of Florida

____________10. The amount of gasoline needed to drive your car 200 miles.

Probability Distribution of Discrete Random Variables

Below are some random variables with their corresponding possible values.

Random Description Set of Possible Values

Variable

V marital status of teachers single, married, widow, …

W number of dots after rolling a die 1,2,3,4,5,6
X tossing a coin Heads, Tails
Y tossing two coins HT, HH, TH, TT
Z household pet being raised dog, cat, mouse, snake, rabbit, …

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 As a statistician, you must be able to identify the set of possible values of your random
variable even before conducting your survey.

Understanding Probability distribution

A probability distribution is a statistical function that describes all the possible and
likelihoods that a random variable can take within a given range. This range will be bounded
between the minimum and maximum possible values but precisely where the possible value is
likely to be plotted on the probability distribution depends on a number of factors. This factors
include the distribution’s mean (average), standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis.

Probability distributions describe the dispersion of the values of a random variable.

Consequently, the kind of variable determines the type of probability distribution.

Example 1. Suppose you are to test three random eggplants from a harvest to see if there are
worms in it. You want to find out the number of eggplants attacked by worms. Use W to represent
if there is a worm attack in an eggplant and N if there is none.

Note: The letters W and N are not random variables but are used to represent the
possible outcome upon checking an eggplant. X is the random variable representing the
number of eggplants attacked by worms.

Again, you are sampling three eggplants. The table has been filled
out to illustrate and demonstrate the possible outcomes of this experiment.
Try to understand the values therein.

Value of Random Variable X

Possible Outcomes (number of eggplants with The possible values of the
worm attacks) random variable X are
0, 1, 2, and 3.
NNN 0

NNW 1

NWN 1

NWW 2

WNN 1

WNW 2

WWN 2

WWW 3

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 There is a total of 8 possible outcomes with 4 distinct possible values of X. We now assign
the probability values of each.
Number of eggplants Probability
with worm attacks X P(X)

There are 8 possible outcomes and only 1 of

1 them had no worm at all. So the probability that
0
8 1
we shall assign is .
8

There are 8 possible outcomes and 3 of them

3 have exactly 1 eggplant attacked by worms. So
1
8 3
the probability that we shall assign is .
8

There are 8 possible outcomes and 3

3 of them have 2 eggplants attacked by
2
8 3
worms. So the probability that we shall assign is .
8

There are 8 possible outcomes and only 1 of

1 them had all 3 eggplants attacked by worms. So
3
8 1
the probability that we shall assign is .
8

The table shown on the previous page is what we call the probability distribution or
probability mass function of the random variable. We can graph the distribution in the form of a
histogram as presented below.

3/8
2/8 3/8 3/8
Probability P(x)

1/8
1/8 1/8

0
0 1 2 3
Number of eggplants with worm attacks X

What is a histogram?

A histogram is like a bar graph but has no spaces

in between the bars. Investigate the heights of the
bars and compare it with the probabilities written
in the table above. What have you noticed?

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 Example 2. Suppose that four coins are tossed. Let Y be the random variable
representing the number of heads that occur.
In this example, the random variable Y represents the number of heads that occur when
tossing four coins. We have defined the sample space and their corresponding values as shown
in the table below.

Possible Outcomes Value of Random Variable Y

HHHH 4
HHHT 3
HHTH 3
HHTT 2
HTHH 3
HTHT 2
HTTH 2
HTTT 1
THHH 3
THHT 2
THTH 2
THTT 1
TTHH 2
TTHT 1
TTTH 1
TTTT 0

There are 5 distinct possible values of which are 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. We now assign the
probability values of each, as shown below.

Number of Heads Y Probability P(Y) Let’s stop and think for a moment.
0 1
Can you explain why the probability
16
4 1 values P(Y) are like that? Where did
1 𝑜𝑟
16 4
the denominator 16 come from? How
2 6 3 about the numerator values 1, 4, 6, 4,
𝑜𝑟 and 1? Where did they come from?
16 8
3 4 1 Getting the sum of all probabilities in
𝑜𝑟 1 4 6
16 4 the distribution we get + + +
16 16 16
4 1 4 1 16
+ = 𝑜𝑟 1. The histogram of
16 16 16 16
the distribution is shown below

6/16

Remember this!
Probability P(Y)

The sum of all probabilities in

4/16 a discrete probability
6/16 distribution should always be
2/16 4/16 4/16 equal to 1, no more no less.
Otherwise, the distribution
becomes invalid or incorrect!
0 1/16 1/16

0 1 2 3 4
Number of heads Y

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Activity 3:

Consider the histogram above. Answer the questions below.

1. What is the probability of getting more than 2 yes?

2. What is the probability of getting more than 1 yes?
3. What is the probability of getting at least 2 yes?
4. What is the probability of getting at most 1 yes?
5. What is the probability of getting 1 or 2 yes?
6. What is the probability of getting pure yes?
7. What is the probability of getting no yes?

Activity 4: Determine whether the distribution represented is valid or not. Explain your
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answer.

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Solving for the Mean, Variance, and Standard Deviation of Discrete Probability
Distributions
The probability distribution of a discrete random variable is the same with the frequency
distribution of a sample in a given population that needs to be summarized using a central value for it
will give the general behavior of the random variable under observation. Any discrete probability
distribution has a mean, a variance, and a standard deviation.

The variance and standard deviation are measures of spread or variability.

HIGH LOW

If the values of the variance and standard
deviation are high, that means that the
individual outcomes of the experiment are
far relative to each other.
In other words, the values differ greatly.
Individual outcomes of the experiment are
far relative to each other.
In other words, the values differ greatly.

As a point of reference, if the values of all the

outcomes in an experiment are all the same, the
variance and standard deviation are both 0. But of
course, this rarely happens in real life application.

The first graph you see on

the top has values that are more
“scattered” than that of the second
graph underneath.

The data in the second

graph is more “closely/tightly”
packed together compared to the
first one.

The variance and standard

deviation of the first graph should
have values greater than the
variance and standard deviation of
the second graph underneath.

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 Example 1. In a 5-item test, the probabilities that a student gets 0, 1,2,3,4, or 5 mistakes are
3 5 7 3 1 1
, , , , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 respectively. What is the average number of mistakes that a student makes
20 20 20 20 20 20
in this class? What is the variance and standard deviation of this discrete probability distribution?

To solve this problem, all you we have to do is arrange the given

entries which are the random variable values and their corresponding
probabilities in the first two columns of a three-column table. So, in this
particular example, our random variable which we are going to call X is the
number of mistakes a student gets in a 5-item quiz. You may use your
calculator in solving for the unknown values.

No. of mistakes Probability 𝑿 ∙ 𝑷(𝑿) Let’s stop and think for a moment.
𝑿 𝑷(𝑿)
0 3 0 The entries in columns 1 and 2 are just
20 copied from the problem statement
1 5 5 above. The entries in the third column
20 20 you have to solve yourself by
2 7 14 multiplying the 1st and 2nd column
20 20 3 5 5
entries. Like, 0  = 0 , 1 = ,
3 3 9 20 20 20
20 20 7 14
2 = , and so on. The number of
4 1 4 20 20
20 20 rows would depend entirely on the

5 1 5 number of possible values that a

20 20 random variable may take.

1st column 2nd column = 3rd column

The symbol for mean is the Greek letter  (read as “my”). To solve for the mean, all you
have to do is add up all the entries of the 3rd column.

Equation 1.  =  X • P( X )
So the value of the mean in the example above is just the sum of all entries in the third
column.
5 14 9 4 5 37
 =  X • P( X ) = 0 + + + + + = = 1.85
20 20 20 20 20 20

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 Therefore, the mean or expected value on the number of mistakes a student may
have in a 5-item quiz is 1.85. Again, we emphasize that none of the students actually got
1.85 mistakes. However, if we are to take the average of the total mistakes done by each
one of the students, we should get an average value of 1.85.
Now that we have found the mean of the discrete probability distribution, we can
now try and solve for the variance. You cannot solve for the variance without finding first
the mean. To solve for the variance, you need to add more columns in the table made a
while ago.
The table below shall discuss how you can solve the variance of a discrete
probability distribution. A sample value was used for demonstration purposes. A brief
explanation is shown below each entry for your guidance.

X P(X ) X • P( X ) X − ( X −  )2 ( X −  ) 2 • P(X )
2 7 14 0.15 3.4225 1.197875
20 20
You are already familiar with the Subtract the To find the value Lastly, multiply the
first three columns and know computed mean of the entry to value obtained in
how to fill these out. from the value of this column, column 5 back to the
the random simplify square probability in column
variable. Since the value that 2.So,
the computed you obtained in 7
mean is 1.85 column 4. So,
3.4225  = 1.197875
20
then, 2-1.85 = 1.85 2 = 3.4225
0.15

After performing all calculations, the completed table would look something like this. Try and
solve for yourself to see how these values were obtained.

X P(X ) X • P( X ) X − ( X −  )2 ( X −  ) 2 • P(X )
0 3 0 -1.85 3.4225 0.513375
20
1 5 5 -0.85 0.7225 0.180625
20 20
2 7 14 0.15 0.0225 0.007875
20 20
3 3 9 1.15 1.3225 0.198375
20 20
4 1 4 2.15 4.6225 0.231125
20 20
5 1 5 3.15 9.9225 0.496125
20 20
The symbol for variance is  2 . To solve for the variance, all we have to do is add up all
entries on the last column.
Equation 2.  2 =  ( X −  ) 2 • P( X )
So the value of the variance of the discrete probability distribution shown above is just the sum
of all entries in the last column.
 2 =  ( X −  ) 2 • P( X )

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 = 0.513375 + 0.180625 +0.007875 + 0.198375 + 0.231125 + 0.496125
= 1.6275

The variance of the probability distribution is 1.6275. Now that the value of the variance is
found, we can now solve for the standard deviation. The symbol for standard deviation is  .
Equation 3.  =  2

So the value of the standard deviation is solved by getting the square root of the variance.
Again, you cannot solve for the value of the standard deviation without finding first the variance and
mean.
 =  2 = 1.6275  1.28
The standard deviation is approximately equal to 1.28. We say “approximately equal to”
because we already rounded off the value from 1.2757350822 to 1.28.

Example 2. In a seafood restaurant, the manager wants to know if their customers like their new raw
large oysters. According to their sales representative, in the past 4 months, the number of oysters
consumed by a customer, along with its corresponding probabilities, is shown in the succeeding table.
Compute the mean, variance and standard deviation.

Number of oysters Probability

consumed P(X )
X
0 2
20

1 2
20

2 3
20

3 2
20

4 1
20

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Solution:

X P(X ) X • P( X ) X − ( X −  )2 ( X −  ) 2 • P(X ) What

0 2 -1.8 3.24 0.648 is the
0
20
1 2 2 -0.8 0.64 0.128
20 20
2 3 6 0.2 0.04 0.012
20 20
3 2 6 1.2 1.44 0.288
20 20

4 1 4 2.2 4.84 0.484

20 20
mean?
2 6 6 4 18
 =  X • P( X ) = 0 + + + + = = 1.8
10 10 10 10 10
What is the variance?
 2 =  ( X −  ) 2 • P( X ) = 0.648 + 0.128 + 0.012 + 0.288 + 0.484 = 1.56
What is the standard deviation?
 =  2 = 1.56  1.25

Based on the computation, the mean of the distribution is

1.8. That implies that the average number of oysters ordered by a
customer is 1.8 oysters. Again none of the customers actually
8
ordered 1 and of an oyster. The number 1.8 is just the best
10
estimate of the average number of oyster consumed by a buying
customer. The variance is 1.56 oysters, while the standard
deviation is 1.25 oysters.
This is the main advantage of standard deviation over
variance. The standard deviation is the same unit as your random
variable, while the variance isn’t.

13
Activity 6: Find the mean, variance, and standard deviation of the following probability distribution
by completing the tables below.

Activity 7:

A. The probabilities of a number of students to come late in a class are shown in the table below.
Find the average number of students to come late daily in this
class.
Number of students (X) 0 1 2 3 4 5

Probability P(X) 0.40 0.22 0.15 0.10 0.08 0.05

B. . A police lieutenant records the number of police blotter filed each day in their city. Based on
his records, the probability distribution of the number of police blotters filed each day is in the
table below. The city mayor claims that the crime rate is in its all-time low with only 2 blotters
being filed each day. Determine the mean of the probability distribution shown and decide if
the mayor’s claim is valid.

Number of students (X) 0 1 2 3 4

Probability P(X) 0.33 0.13 0.23 0.15 0.16

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This is a summary of all that we’ve learned so far.

• A random variable is a function that links a specific numerical value to each element in the
sample space of any given experiment or situation.

• A discrete random variable is a random variable whose set of possible outcomes is finite.
Values of each sample are separated with a finite gap or space. Values of this variable may
be obtained through counting.
• A continuous random variable is a random variable whose set of possible outcomes is
infinite. This type of variable may take on a continuous stream of values. Its values can only
be obtained through measurement.
• A discrete probability distribution, otherwise known as a probability mass function, is made
up of the values that a random variable can take with their corresponding probabilities. A valid
probability distribution must have a sum of exactly equal to 1, no more no less.
• Formulas for Mean, Variance, and Standard Deviation.
Equation 1. 𝜇 = ∑ 𝑋 ∙ (𝑋)
Equation 2. 𝜎2 = ∑(𝑋 - 𝜇)2 ∙ 𝑃(𝑋)
Equation 3. 𝜎 = √𝜎2

 Steps in Finding the Mean:

1. Multiply the random variable by its probability.
2. Use equation 1 to find the mean by adding all products obtained in step 1.
 Steps in Finding the Variance:
3. Subtract the computed mean from each value of the random variable: 𝑋 - 𝜇.
4. Square the value obtained in step 3: (𝑋 - 𝜇)2.
5. Multiply the value obtained in step 4 by the corresponding probability:
(𝑋 - 𝜇)2 ∙ 𝑃(𝑋)
6. Use equation 2 to find the variance by adding all products obtained in step 5.
 Steps in Finding the Standard Deviation:
7. Use equation 3 to find the standard deviation by getting the square root of the
value obtained in step 6.

REFERENCES

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Calaca, Ninia I., Chin Uy, Nestor M. Noble, and Ronaldo A. Manalo, Statistics and Probability, Quezon
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Ellen, L., Larry, O., Raja, A., Brenda, M. and Danielle, D., 2014. Ck-12 Advance Probability
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“Section 5-Coconino Country Community College.” Accessed June 25,2020.
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“Random Variables,” Khan Academy, Inc., last modified August 1, 2019,
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distributions-for-.html

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880-7071, (088) 880 - 7072)

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