ILLUSTRATES A PROBABILITY

DISTRIBUTION FOR A
DISCRETE RANDOM VARIABLE
AND ITS PROPERTIES .
EXAMPLE: NUMBER OF
BOYS
THERE ARE THREE CHILDREN IN A FAMILY.
LET X BE A RANDOM VARIABLE
REPRESENTING THE NUMBER OF BOYS.
ASSUMING THAT BOYS AND GIRLS ARE
EQUALLY LIKELY TO BE SELECTED,
ILLUSTRATE THE PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION OF A RANDOM VARIABLE X.
Step 1: Determine the sample space. Let B represents the boy
and G represents the girl.

Step 2: Count the number of boys in Each outcome in the

sample space and assign this number to this outcome.

Step 3: There are four possible values of the random variable

X representing the number of boys. The possible values that X
can take 0, 1, 2, and 3. Assign probability values P(X) to each
value of the random variable.
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PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FOR A DISCRETE RANDOM
VARIABLE
The probability distribution of a discrete random variable X is a
list of all possible values of X and the corresponding probabilities of
the values. It specifies the probability associated with each possible
value of the random variable. The distribution functions of discrete
random variables are concentrated as a mass for a particular value,
and generally known as Probability Mass Function.
 The probability of each value of the random variable must be
between or equal to 0 and 1. In symbol 0≤P(X)≤1.
 The sum of all the probabilities of all values of the random variable
must be equal to 1. In symbol, we write it as ΣP(X)=1.
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EXAMPLE: Determine whether the distribution below is a discrete
probability distribution.

X 1 2 3 4 5
P(X)

SOLUTIONS:
be between or equal to 0 and 1
the sum of all the values of the probabilities must be equal to
1. By adding all the values of P(X).

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ANSWER: Therefore, this is not a discrete probability distribution because

EXAMPLE: Determine whether the distribution below is a discrete

probability distribution.

X 1 3 7 9
P(X) 0.25 0.35 - 0.2-
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SOLUTIONS:
be between or equal to 0 and 1
the sum of all the values of the probabilities must be equal to
1. By adding all the values of P(X).

𝐏(𝐗)= 𝟎.𝟐𝟓+𝟎.𝟑𝟓+𝟎.𝟐𝟎−𝟎.𝟐𝟎=𝟎.𝟔𝟎
ANSWER: This is not a probability distribution
because the P(9) is less than 0 and the 𝐏(𝐗) ≠ 𝟏.

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SUPPOSE THREE COINS ARE
TOSSED. LET Y BE THE RANDOM
VARIABLE REPRESENTING THE
NUMBER OF TAILS THAT OCCUR.
FIND THE PROBABILITY OF
EACH OF THE VALUES OF THE
RANDOM VARIABLE Y.
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