Unit 2 – Lesson 1

Probability Mass
Function of a
Discrete Random
Variable
 Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

● correctly construct a probability mass function of a

given discrete random variable;

● accurately graph values and probabilities of a

discrete random variable in a histogram; and

● accurately illustrate discrete random variables in

real-life situations.
 Learn about It!

Probability Mass Function of a Discrete

1 Random Variable
given a discrete random variable 𝑋, it is a function that satisfies the following
properties:
a. 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥)
b. 0 ≤ 𝑓(𝑥) ≤ 1
c. The sum of the probabilities, 𝑓 𝑥𝑖 , is equal to 1.

Example:
A coin is flipped three times. Let 𝑋 represent the number of
heads that appear in flipping a coin. The probability mass
function can be represented using a table.
 Learn about It!

Probability Mass Function of a Discrete

1 Random Variable
given a discrete random variable 𝑋, it is a function that satisfies the following
properties:
a. 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥)
b. 0 ≤ 𝑓(𝑥) ≤ 1
c. The sum of the probabilities, 𝑓 𝑥𝑖 , is equal to 1.

𝑋 0 1 2 3
Frequency 1 3 3 1
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) 𝟏 𝟑 𝟑 𝟏
𝟖 𝟖 𝟖 𝟖
 Learn about It!

2 Histogram
a graph of a probability mass function

The possible values of the discrete random variable are on

the horizontal axis (y-axis) while its probabilities are on the
vertical axis (x-axis). The total area under a histogram is 1.
 Learn about It!

2 Histogram
a graph of a probability mass function.

Example:
A coin is flipped three times. Let 𝑋
be the number of heads that
appear in flipping a coin. The
histogram that represents the
probability mass function is
shown on the right.
 Try It!

Example 1: Two coins are tossed. Let 𝐻 be the number of

heads that occur. Construct the probability distribution for
the random variable 𝐻 and its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
1. Determine the values for the random variable 𝐻.
SOLUTION:
 Try It!

Example 1: Two coins are tossed. Let 𝐻 be the number of

heads that occur. Construct the probability distribution for
the random variable 𝐻 and its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
In this sample space, we will Outcomes 𝑯
have the following values for
𝐻𝐻
the random variable 𝑯.
𝐻𝑇
𝑇𝐻
𝑇𝑇
 Try It!

Example 1: Two coins are tossed. Let 𝐻 be the number of

heads that occur. Construct the probability distribution for
the random variable 𝐻 and its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
In this sample space, we will Outcomes 𝑯
have the following values for
𝐻𝐻 𝟐
the random variable 𝐻.
𝐻𝑇 𝟏
Thus, 𝑯 = 𝟎, 𝟏, 𝟐. 𝑇𝐻 𝟏
𝑇𝑇 𝟎
 Try It!

Example 1: Two coins are tossed. Let 𝐻 be the number of

heads that occur. Construct the probability distribution for
the random variable 𝐻 and its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
2. Construct the probability distribution for the random
variable.

The probability distribution of the random variable 𝐻 can be

written using a table.
 Try It!

Example 1: Two coins are tossed. Let 𝐻 be the number of

heads that occur. Construct the probability distribution for
the random variable 𝐻 and its corresponding histogram.
Solution:

𝑯 0 1 2
𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
𝑷(𝑯)
𝟒 𝟐 𝟒
 Try It!

Example 1: Two coins are tossed. Let 𝐻 be the number of

heads that occur. Construct the probability distribution for
the random variable 𝐻 and its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
3. Construct the histogram for the probability distribution.

Constructing the histogram of a probability distribution is the

same as constructing a bar graph. The horizontal axis will
have the values for 𝐻, and the vertical axis will have the
probability values. The height of each bar is the same with
the probability value.
 Try It!

Example 1: Two coins are tossed. Let 𝐻 be the number of

heads that occur. Construct the probability distribution for
the random variable 𝐻 and its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
 Try It!

Example 2: A train contains girls and boys. If three persons

are taken from the train one after the other, determine the
possible values of the random variable 𝐺 representing the
number of girls. Construct its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
In this sample space, we will have the following values for the
random variable 𝐺.
SOLUTION:
 Try It!

Example 2: A train contains girls and boys. If three persons

are taken from the train one after the other, determine the
possible values of the random variable 𝐺 representing the
number of girls. Construct its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
Outcomes 𝑮 Outcomes 𝑮
𝐺𝐺𝐺 𝟑 𝐵𝐵𝐺 𝟏
𝐺𝐺𝐵 𝟐 𝐵𝐺𝐵 𝟏
𝐺𝐵𝐺 𝟐 𝐺𝐵𝐵 𝟏
𝐵𝐺𝐺 𝟐 𝐵𝐵𝐵 𝟎
 Try It!

Example 2: A train contains girls and boys. If three persons

are taken from the train one after the other, determine the
possible values of the random variable 𝐺 representing the
number of girls. Construct its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
Thus, 𝐺 = 0, 1, 2, 3.
 Try It!

Example 2: A train contains girls and boys. If three persons

are taken from the train one after the other, determine the
possible values of the random variable 𝐺 representing the
number of girls. Construct its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
2. Construct the probability distribution for the random
variable.

The probability distribution of the random variable 𝐺 can be

written using a table.
 Try It!

Example 2: A train contains girls and boys. If three persons

are taken from the train one after the other, determine the
possible values of the random variable 𝐺 representing the
number of girls. Construct its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
𝑮 0 1 2 3
𝟏 𝟑 𝟑 𝟏
𝑷(𝑮)
𝟖 𝟖 𝟖 𝟖
 Try It!

Example 2: A train contains girls and boys. If three persons

are taken from the train one after the other, determine the
possible values of the random variable 𝐺 representing the
number of girls. Construct its corresponding histogram.
Solution:
3. Construct the histogram for the
probability distribution.
 Let’s Practice!

Example 3: Determine whether the formula below describes

a probability distribution.
𝑋−1
𝑃(𝑋) = , where 𝑋 = 0, 1, 2, 3
2

The formula does not describe a probability distribution because it has a

negative probability and a probability equal to 1.
SOLUTION:
𝑿 0 1 2 3

𝑷(𝑿) 𝟏 𝟎 𝟏 𝟏
−
𝟐 𝟐
 Let’s Practice!

Example 4: Determine whether the formula below describes

a probability distribution.
𝑋+1
𝑃 𝑋 = , where 𝑋 = 0, 1, 3
7

If it is a probability distribution, solve the following:

a. 𝑃 𝑋 = 3
b. 𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 1)
c. 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 1)

The formula gives a probability distribution since 0 ≤ 𝑃(𝑋) ≤ 1 and

σ 𝑃 𝑋 = 1 where 𝑋 = 0, 1, 3.
SOLUTION:
𝑿 0 1 3

𝑷(𝑿) 𝟏 𝟐 𝟒
𝟕 𝟕 𝟕
 The notation P(X ≥ 1) refers to the probability that
SOLUTION: the random variable is greater than or equal to 1. In
this case, we are looking for the probability that the
random variable is equal to 1 or 3.

The notation P(X ≤ 1) refers to the probability that

the random variable is less than or equal to 1. In this
case, we are looking for the probability that the
random variable is equal to 1 or 0.
Unit 2 – Lesson 2

Mean of a
Discrete Random
Variable
 Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

● correctly calculate the mean of a discrete random

variable;

● correctly interpret the mean of a discrete random

variable; and

● accurately apply the concept of the mean of a

discrete random variable in real-life situations.
 Learn about It!

1 Mean of a Discrete Random Variable

Let 𝑋 be a discrete random variable. The expected value of 𝑋, also referred to as
the mean of 𝑋, is

𝝁 = 𝑬 𝑿 = ෍[𝑿 ∙ 𝑷(𝑿)]

To compute for the mean of a discrete random variable,

follow these steps:
1. Construct the probability distribution
2. Determine the value of 𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃(𝑋)
3. Add all the values of 𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃(𝑋) to determine Σ[𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃 𝑋 ]
Learn about It!

2 Properties of the Mean of a Discrete Random

Variable
Let 𝑋 and 𝑌 be random variables and let 𝑎 and 𝑏 be
constants. The following properties hold:
1. 𝐸 𝑋 − 𝜇 = 0
2. 𝐸 𝑎𝑋 + 𝑏 = 𝑎𝐸 𝑋 + 𝑏
3. 𝐸 𝑋 + 𝑌 = 𝐸 𝑋 + 𝐸(𝑌)
4. 𝐸 𝑋 − 𝑌 = 𝐸 𝑋 − 𝐸(𝑌)
5. 𝐸 𝑋𝑌 = 𝐸 𝑋 ⋅ 𝐸 𝑌 , provided that 𝑋 and 𝑌 are
independent of each other.
 Try It!

Example 1: Find the mean of the discrete random variable 𝑋

with the following probability distribution.
𝑿 𝑷(𝑿)
3 1
8
2 3
8
1 3
8
0 1
8
 Try It!

Example 1: Find the mean of the discrete random variable X

with the following probability distribution.
Solution: 𝑿 𝑷(𝑿) 𝑿 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑿)
1. Construct the column for 1
𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃(𝑋). 3
8
2 3
8
1 3
8
0 1
8
 Try It!

Example 1: Find the mean of the discrete random variable X

with the following probability distribution.
Solution: 𝑿 𝑷(𝑿) 𝑿 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑿)
2. Multiply the value of 𝑋 by its 1 3
corresponding probability 3
8 8
value 𝑃(𝑋). 3 6
2
8 8
1 3 3
8 8
0 1 0
8
 Try It!

Example 1: Find the mean of the discrete random variable X

with the following probability distribution.
Solution:
3. Find the mean or the expected value of the probability
distribution by getting the sum of the values under the
column 𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃(𝑋)
𝜇 =𝐸 𝑋 =෍ 𝑋⋅𝑃 𝑋

3 6 3
= + + +0
8 8 8
 Try It!

Example 1: Find the mean of the discrete random variable X

with the following probability distribution.
Solution:
12
=
8
3
=
2
= 1.5
Therefore, the mean or the expected value of the probability
distribution is 𝟏. 𝟓.
 Try It!

Example 2: Find the mean or the expected value of the

probability distribution shown below.
𝑿 𝑷(𝑿)
1 0.09
2 0.16
3 0.17
4 0.28
5 0.25
6 0.05
 Try It!

Example 2: Find the mean or the expected value of the

probability distribution shown below.
Solution: 𝑿 𝑷(𝑿) 𝑿 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑿)
1. Construct the column for 1 0.09
𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃(𝑋). 2 0.16
3 0.17
4 0.28
5 0.25
6 0.05
 Try It!

Example 2: Find the mean or the expected value of the

probability distribution shown below.
Solution: 𝑿 𝑷(𝑿) 𝑿 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑿)
2. Multiply the value of 𝑋 by its 1 0.09 0.09
corresponding probability value 2 0.16 0.32
𝑃(𝑋). 3 0.17 0.51
4 0.28 1.12
5 0.25 1.25
6 0.05 0.3
 Try It!

Example 2: Find the mean or the expected value of the

probability distribution shown below.
Solution: 𝑿 𝑷(𝑿) 𝑿 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑿)
3. Find the mean or the 1 0.09 0.09
expected value of the 2 0.16 0.32
probability distribution by 3 0.17 0.51
getting the sum of the values 4 0.28 1.12
under the column 𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃(𝑋).
5 0.25 1.25
6 0.05 0.3
TOTAL 𝟑. 𝟓𝟗
 Try It!

Example 2: Find the mean or the expected value of the

probability distribution shown below.
Solution: 𝑿 𝑷(𝑿) 𝑿 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑿)
Thus, 𝐸 𝑋 = Σ 𝑋 ⋅ 𝑃 𝑋 = 3.59. 1 0.09 0.09
The mean or the expected 2 0.16 0.32
value of the probability 3 0.17 0.51
distribution is 𝟑. 𝟓𝟗. 4 0.28 1.12
5 0.25 1.25
6 0.05 0.3
TOTAL 𝟑. 𝟓𝟗
 Let’s Practice!

Example 3: Given the probability distribution of a random

variable 𝑋 below, compute for the expected value.
𝑿 𝑷(𝑿)

1 1
5
2 1
10
3 2
5
4 3
10
 Let’s Practice!

SOLUTION: 𝑿 𝑷(𝑿) 𝑿 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑿)

1 1 1
5 5
2 1 1
10 5
3 2 6
5 5
This implies that the center of
distribution of the discrete random 4 3 6
variable is located at X = 2.8. 10 5
 Let’s Practice!

Example 4:
The data shown on the Number of Probability
right is the number of Laptops 𝑳 𝑷(𝑳)
laptops sold per day during 0 0.10
the past six months and its 1 0.20
corresponding probability. 2 0.45
Compute for the expected 3 0.15
value of the laptop sales 4 0.05
and interpret its value. 5 0.05
 Let’s Practice!

SOLUTION:
Number of Probability
𝑳 ⋅ 𝑷(𝑳)
Laptops 𝑳 𝑷(𝑳)
0 0.10 0
1 0.20 0.20
2 0.45 0.90
3 0.15 0.45
4 0.05 0.20
This implies that the center of
distribution of the discrete random 5 0.05 0.25
variable is located at 𝐿 = 2.