Bernoulli Distribu.

on :
A discrete probability distribu1on wherein the random variable can only have 2 possible outcomes is known as
a Bernoulli Distribu1on. If in a Bernoulli trial the random variable takes on the value of 1, it means that this is a
success. The probability of success is given by p. Similarly, if the value of the random variable is 0, it indicates
failure. The probability of failure is q or 1 - p. Bernoulli distribu1on can be used to derive a binomial
distribu1on, geometric distribu1on, and nega1ve binomial distribu1on.

Suppose there is an experiment where you flip a coin that is fair. If the outcome of the flip is heads then you
will win. This means that the probability of geHng heads is p = 1/2. If X is the random variable following a
Bernoulli Distribu1on, we get P(X = 1) = p = 1/2.

Formula :

Mean and Variance of Bernoulli Distribu.on :

Mean is p.
Bernoulli Distribu.on Applica.ons :

Bernoulli distribu1on is a simple distribu1on and hence, is widely used in many industries. Given below are
some applica1ons of Bernoulli distribu1on.

• In medicine, Bernoulli distribu1ons are used to model the events experienced by a single pa1ent.
These events could be disease, death, and so on.
• Logis1c regressions use Bernoulli distribu1on to model the occurrence of certain events such as the
specific outcome of a dice roll.
• Bernoulli distribu1on is also used as a basis to derive several other probability distribu1ons that have
applica1ons in the engineering, aerospace, and medical industries.

Important Points to Remember :

• Bernoulli distribu1on is a discrete probability distribu1on where the Bernoulli random variable can
have only 0 or 1 as the outcome.
• p is the probability of success and 1 - p is the probability of failure.
• The mean of a Bernoulli distribu1on is E[X] = p and the variance, Var[X] = p(1-p).
• Bernoulli distribu1on is a special case of binomial distribu1on when only 1 trial is conducted.
Binomial distribu.on
In binomial probability distribu1on, the number of ‘Success’ in a sequence of n experiments, where each 1me
a ques1on is asked for yes-no, then the Boolean-valued outcome is represented either with
success/yes/true/one (probability p) or failure/no/false/zero (probability q = 1 − p). A single success/failure test
is also called a Bernoulli trial or Bernoulli experiment, and a series of outcomes is called a Bernoulli process.
For n = 1, i.e. a single experiment, the binomial distribu1on is a Bernoulli distribu1on. The binomial distribu1on
is the base for the famous binomial test of sta1s1cal importance.

In real life, the concept is used for:

• Finding the quan1ty of raw and used materials while making a product.
• Taking a survey of posi1ve and nega1ve reviews from the public for any specific product or place.
• By using the YES/ NO survey, we can check whether the number of persons views the par1cular
channel.
• To find the number of male and female employees in an organisa1on.
• The number of votes collected by a candidate in an elec1on is counted based on 0 or 1 probability.

Formula :
Binomial Distribu.on Mean and Variance :

Proper.es of Binomial Distribu.on

The proper1es of the binomial distribu1on are:

• There are two possible outcomes: true or false, success or failure, yes or no.
• There is ‘n’ number of independent trials or a fixed number of n 1mes repeated trials.
• The probability of success or failure remains the same for each trial.
• Only the number of success is calculated out of n independent trials.
• Every trial is an independent trial, which means the outcome of one trial does not affect the outcome
of another trial.

Example 1: If a coin is tossed 5 times, using binomial distribution find the probability of:
(a) Exactly 2 heads
(b) At least 4 heads.
Solution:
(a) According to the problem:
Number of trials: n=5
Probability of head: p= 1/2 and hence the probability of tail, q =1/2
For exactly two heads:
x=2
P(x=2) = 5C2 p2 q5-2 = 5! / 2! 3! × (½)2× (½)3
P(x=2) = 5/16
(b) For at least four heads,
x ≥ 4, P(x ≥ 4) = P(x = 4) + P(x=5)
Hence,
P(x = 4) = 5C4 p4 q5-4 = 5!/4! 1! × (½)4× (½)1 = 5/32
P(x = 5) = 5C5 p5 q5-5 = (½)5 = 1/32
Answer: Therefore, P(x ≥ 4) = 5/32 + 1/32 = 6/32 = 3/16

Example 2: For the same question given above, find the probability of getting at most 2 heads.
Solution:
Solution: P(at most 2 heads) = P(X ≤ 2) = P (X = 0) + P (X = 1)
P(X = 0) = (½)5 = 1/32
P(X=1) = 5C1 (½)5.= 5/32
Answer: Therefore, P(X ≤ 2) = 1/32 + 5/32 = 3/16
Poisson distribu.on
The Poisson distribu1on is a discrete probability func1on that means the variable can only take specific values
in a given list of numbers, probably infinite. A Poisson distribu1on measures how many 1mes an event is likely
to occur within “x” period of 1me. In other words, we can define it as the probability distribu1on that results
from the Poisson experiment. A Poisson experiment is a sta1s1cal experiment that classifies the experiment
into two categories, such as success or failure. Poisson distribu1on is a limi1ng process of the binomial
distribu1on.

A Poisson random variable “x” defines the number of successes in the experiment. This distribu1on occurs
when there are events that do not occur as the outcomes of a definite number of outcomes. Poisson
distribu1on is used under certain condi1ons. They are:

• The number of trials “n” tends to infinity

• Probability of success “p” tends to zero
• np = 1 is finite

Formula :

Poisson Distribu.on Mean and Variance

Applica.ons of Poisson Distribu.on
There are various applica1ons of the Poisson distribu1on.
• To count the number of defects of a finished product
• To count the number of deaths in a country by any disease or natural calamity
• To count the number of infected plants in the field
• To count the number of bacteria in the organisms or the radioac1ve decay in atoms
• To calculate the wai1ng 1me between the events.

Important Points to Remember

• The formula for Poisson distribu1on is f(x) = P(X=x) = (e-λ λx )/x!.
• For the Poisson distribu1on, λ is always greater than 0.
• For Poisson distribu1on, the mean and the variance of the distribu1on are equal.

Example 1:
A random variable X has a Poisson distribu1on with parameter λ such that P (X = 1) = (0.2) P (X = 2). Find P (X =
0).
Solu.on:
For the Poisson distribu1on, the probability func1on is defined as:
P (X =x) = (e– λ λx)/x!, where λ is a parameter.
Given that, P (x = 1) = (0.2) P (X = 2)
(e– λ λ1)/1! = (0.2)(e– λ λ2)/2!
⇒λ = λ2/ 10
⇒λ = 10
Now, subs1tute λ = 10, in the formula, we get:
P (X =0 ) = (e– λ λ0)/0!
P (X =0) = e-10 = 0.0000454
Thus, P (X= 0) = 0.0000454

Example 2:
Telephone calls arrive at an exchange according to the Poisson process at a rate λ= 2/min. Calculate the
probability that exactly two calls will be received during each of the first 5 minutes of the hour.
Solu.on:
Assume that “N” be the number of calls received during a 1 minute period.
Therefore,
P(N= 2) = (e-2. 22)/2!
P(N=2) = 2e-2.
Now, “M” be the number of minutes among 5 minutes considered, during which exactly 2 calls will be received.
Thus “M” follows a binomial distribu1on with parameters n=5 and p= 2e-2.
P(M=5) = 32 x e-10
P(M =5) = 0.00145, where “e” is a constant, which is approximately equal to 2.718.