COMPUTING THE

MEAN OF A DISCRETE
PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
 illustrate and calculate the mean of a
discrete and random variable;

 interpret the mean of a discrete random

variable; and

 solve problems involving mean of

probability distributions.
FOUR BASIC TYPES OF SAMPLING
1. RANDOM SAMPLING – this is done by using chance
methods or random numbers.

2. SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING – this is done by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth
number.
3. STRATIFIED SAMPLING – if a
population has distinct groups, it is
possible to divide the population into
these groups and to draw SRS’s from
each of the groups.

4. CLUSTER SAMPLING – this

methods uses intact groups called
clusters.
 ENTRY CARD
A. Give the values of the variables X and Y, evaluate the following
summations.
 Formula of the Mean of the Probability
Distribution
The mean of a random variable with a discrete probability
distribution is:

or

where:
,,,… , are the values of the random variable X, and
, , , … , are the corresponding probabilities
 Number of Spots
Consider rolling a die. What is the average
number of spots that would appear?
Step 1: Construct the probability distribution for the
random variable X representing the number of spots that
would appear.

Step 2: Multiply the value of the random variable X by the

corresponding probability.

Step 3: Add the results obtained in Step 2.

Number of Spots Probability P(X) X P (X)
(X)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Mean of the random variable X or the mean of the
probability distribution of X.

The mean tell us the average number of spots that

would appear in a roll of die. So, the average number of
spots that would appear is 3.5
 GROCERY ITEMS
The probabilities that a customer will buy 1,2,3,4, or 5 items in a grocery
store are , , and , respectively. What is the average number of items that a
customer will buy?

Step 1: Construct the probability distribution for the random variable X

representing the number of spots that would appear.
Step 2: Multiply the value of the random variable X by the corresponding
probability.
Step 3: Add the results obtained in Step 2.
 SURGERY PATIENTS
The probabilities that a surgeon operates
on 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 patients in any day
are 0.15, 0.10, 0.20, 0.25, 0.40, and 0.30,
respectively. Find the average number of
patients that a surgeon operates on a
day.