Polangui General Comprehensive High School

Polangui, Albay

Lesson: COMPUTING THE MEAN OF A DISCRETE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

Lesson Objectives:
1.) Illustrate and calculate the mean of a discrete random variable;
2.) Interpret the mean of a discrete random variable; and
3.) Solve problems involving mean of probability distributions

Formula for the Mean of the Probability Distribution

The mean of a random variable with a discrete probability distribution is

μ= X 1 ∙ P ( X 1 ) + X 2 ∙ P ( X 2 ) +…+ X n ∙ P ( X n )or μ=∑ X ∙ P( X)
where:
X1 , X2, X3, … X n are the values of the random variable X; and
P ( X 1 ) , P¿ are the corresponding probabilities

In-class Activity 1
Number of Spots

Consider rolling a die. What is the average number of spots that would appear?

Solution:

Steps Solution
1. Construct the probability distribution for Number of Spots X Probability P(X)
the random variable X representing the 1 1
number of spots that would appear. 6
2 1
6
3 1
6
4 1
6
5 1
6
6 1
6
2. Multiply the value of the random Number of Probability X ∙ P (X )
variable X by the corresponding Spots X P(X)
probability. 1 1 1
6 6
2 1 2
6 6
3 1 3
6 6
4 1 4
6 6
5 1 5
6 6
6 1 6
6 6
3. Add the results obtained in Step 2 21
∑ X ∙ P ( X )= 6 =3.5
The mean of the random variable X or the mean of the probability distribution of X is 3.5
This implies that the average number of spots that would appear in a roll of a die is 3.5.
 In-class Activity 2
Grocery Items

3 1 1 2 ,∧3
The probabilities that a customer will buy 1,2,3,4, or 5 items in a grocery are , , ,
10 10 10 10 10
, respectively.What is the average number of items that a customer will buy?

Solution:

Number of Items X Probability P(X) X ∙P (X)

1 3 3
10 10
2 1 2
10 10
3 1 3
10 10
4 2 8
10 10
5 3 15
10 10
31
∑ X ∙ P ( X )= 10 =3.1
The mean of the probability distribution of X is 3.1
This implies that the average number of items that the customer will buy is 3.1

In-class Activity 3
Surgery Patients

The probabilities that a surgeon operates on 3,4,5,6, or 7 patients in any day are 0.15, 0.10,
0.20,0.25, and 0.30, respectively. Find the average number of patients that a surgeon operates on a
day.
Solution:

Number of Patients X Probability P(X) X ∙P (X )

3 0.15 0.45
4 0.10 0.40
5 0.20 1.00
6 0.25 1.50
7 0.30 2.10
∑ X ∙ P ( X )=5.45
The average number of patients that a surgeon will operate in a day is 5.45.

Exercises!
1. Complete the table below and find the mean of the probability distribution.

a.
X P(X) X ∙P (X)
1 1
7
6 1
7
11 3
7
 16 1
7
21 1
7
∑ X ∙ P ( X )=¿ ¿

The mean of the probability distribution is ______.

b.
X P(X) X ∙P (X)
3 0.15
6 0.35
8 0.40
10 0.10
∑ X ∙ P ( X )=¿ ¿
The mean of the probability distribution is ______.

2. The probabilities of a manufacturing 0,1,2,3,4, or 5 defective parts in one day are 0.75, 0.17,
0.04,0.025,0.01, and 0.005, respectively. Find the mean of the probability distribution.

3. A bakeshop owner determines the number of boxes of pandesal that are delivered each day.
Find the mean of the probability distribution shown. If the manager stated that 35 boxes of
pandesal were delivered in one day, do you think that this a believable claim? Why or why not?

Number of Boxes (X) Probability P(X)

35 0.10
36 0.20
37 0.30
38 0.30
39 0.10

-end-
mdsbalin’16-‘17