Binomial Distributions

Chapter 4 Section 3
Binomial Distributions
• It has a specified number of independent trials in which the outcome
is either success or failure
• The probability remains the same in each trial
• The random variable is the number of successes in the given number
of trials
• The independent trials are also called Bernoulli trials
• E.g., tossing a coin 100 times, rolling a pair of dice 20 times, an
assembly line in a manufacturing plant
Probability in a Binomial Distribution
• Probability of x successes in n identical independent trials:
𝑃 𝑥 =𝑛 𝐶𝑥 𝑝 𝑥 𝑞𝑛−𝑥
• Where p is the probability of success in one trial and q is the probability of
failure (q = 1 – p)
Example 1
• Tabulate and graph the probability distribution for the number of
heads in tossing a coin 5 times
• Let success be the number of heads tossed and the random variable
(x) is the number of heads tossed
Number of heads (x) 𝑷 𝒙 =𝒏 𝑪𝒙 (𝒑)𝒙 (𝒒)𝒏−𝒙

5
Example 2
• A pair of dice are rolled 20 times. What is the probability that:
a) Double 6s are rolled exactly twice?

b) At least 2 double 6s are rolled?

3 Criteria for using the Binomial Distribution

• The outcome of each trial must be a success or failure (predefined)

• The trials are identical

• The trials are independent

Example 3
• In a manufacturing process, it is estimated that 0.5% of the products
are defective. If a client places an order of 30 products, what is the
probability that none of them is defective?
Expected Value of a Binomial Distribution
• E(x)=np

• Example 4: A game consists of rolling a pair of dice 10 times. For each

sum that equals 6, 7, or 8 on the two dice, you win a dollar. If it costs
$5 to play the game, is this a fair game?
Questions?