Statistics and Probability

Module 1

EXPLORING RANDOM
VARIABLES
 Probability
- the measure of how likely a particular event occur

Experiment
- It refers to an activity in which the results cannot be
predicted with certainly.
Sample space
- Is a set (S) that contains all possible outcomes of
experiment.

Outcome
- Is a possible result of an experiment or trial.
 Random Variables
May be viewed as a way to map outcome of statistical experiment
determined by chance into a number. It is set whose element are
numbers assigned to the outcomes of an experiment. It is denoted
to a capital letter usually x.
Such as;
• Tossing a coin three times

• Rolling a dice twice

• Drawing two balls
 2 TYPES
OF
RANDOM VARIABLES
1. DISCRETE VARIABLES
A random variable that can take on
a finite ( countably infinite) number
of distinct values.
Examples
1.number of heads obtained when
tossing a coin thrice.
2. number of siblings a person
has.
3. number of students present in a
classroom, at a given time.
2.CONTINUOUS VARIABLE
A random variable that take an
infinitely uncountable number
of possible values, typically
measurable.
Examples
1. Time of person can hold his/her
breath
2.The height or weight of a
person
3. The body Temperature
EXAMPLE 1. Suppose two coins are tossed. Let X be the random
variable representing the number of heads that occur. Find the values of
the random variable x POSSIBLE VALUE OF THE RANDOM
H HH OUTCOMES VARIABLE X
H HT ( N0.0F HEADS)
T
T H TH HH
2
T TT HT 1
TH 1
SAMPLE SPACE= (HH,HT,TH,TT)
TT 0

THE POSSIBLE VALUES OF RANDOM VARIABLE X ARE 0,1,2 . X={0,1,2}

EXAMPLE 2. Write all the possible values of each random
variable
a) x: Number of even outcomes in a roll of dice.

X= { 2,4,6}

b) Z; score of students in a 10- item test.

Z = { 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}
 EXAMPLE 3. THREE CHILD EXPERIMENT
Find the random variables x which represents the no. of boys occur.

B B
B Possible Value of the
G outcomes Random variable X
G B ( No. of BOYS)
G
. G B B BBB 3
G G BBG 2
B
SAMPLE SPACE BGB 2
G
S=(BBB,BBG,BGB,BGG,GBB,GBG,GGB,GGG) BGG 1
GBB
2
RANDOM VARIABLE
GBG 1
GGB
X= {0,1,2,3} 1
GGG 0
 Practice

1. Exam results of students DISCRETE

2. Body temperature of a person CONTINUOUS

3.Amount of paint utilized in building a house CONTINUOUS
4. Number of students enrolled this year DISCRETE

5. Time to finish running 10 km CONTINUOUS

Activity
time!