Activity Number: 1.

1
I. Lesson Title: Random Variables and Probability Distributions
II. Objectives:
At the end of the session, the students can illustrate, distinguish, and compute a random variable (discrete and continuous) by:
1. Defining a random variable (discrete and continuous);
2. Distinguishing between a discrete and continuous random variable in a real-life scenario; and
3. Computing probabilities corresponding to a given random variable.
III.Reference/s: Alonzo, A. Statistics and Probability for Senior High School. Salinlahi Publishing House, Inc., 2016.
IV. Values: Perseverance

I. INTRODUCTION
A. Activity 1: Oral Recitation
Q1: Have you ever tossed a coin and wished for a tail to come out instead of a head?
Q2: Have you ever played a game and wondered why you keep on losing and wished if only you knew the possibilities of winning the game so you
won’t be able to risk more?
Activity 2: Arrange Me!
Instruction: Given are the scrambled letters of our topic for today. The one who can arrange the letters of the given words first, will earn 10pts.
1. CRSETEDI OBPLITRABIY IBUTITRISDON 2.
NTCUOUOINS PBLIROITABY IDSITUTNRIBO
____________________________________________ _______________________________________________

II. INTERACTION
B. Concept Notes

LESSON 1 RANDOM VARIABLE

What is a variable?
To understand what discrete, continuous, and random variables are, you first need to know what a variable is.
In math, a "variable" is a quantity that can take on different values. It is a quantity that "varies."
We typically denote variables using a lower- or upper-case letter of the Latin alphabet, such as a , b , X ,∨Y . You can attach a subscript to the letter
to provide more information about the variable. For example, if h is a variable representing height, you might use h1 and h1 to differentiate between
the heights of two different people.
What is a random variable?
Random Variable: assigns a number to each outcome of a random circumstance, or equivalently, to each unit in a population.
Two Different Broad Classes of Random Variables
1. A continuous random variable can take any value in an interval or collection of intervals.
2. A discrete random variable can take one of countable list of distinct values.
Notation for either type: X , Y , Z ,W , etc .
What is a discrete variable?
A discrete variable is a variable that takes on distinct, countable values. In theory, you should always be able to count the values of a discrete variable.
EXAMPLES
Years of schooling
Number of goals made in a soccer match
Amount of red M&Ms in a candy jar
Votes for a specific politician
The number of times a coin lands on heads after ten-coin tosses
All of these variables take a finite number of values that you can count. They are examples of discrete variables.
What is a continuous variable?
A continuous variable is a variable that can take on any value within a range. A continuous variable takes on an infinite number of possible values
within a given range.
Because the possible values for a continuous variable are infinite, we measure continuous variables (rather than count them), often using a measuring
device like a ruler or stopwatch. Continuous variables include all the fractional or decimal values within a range.
EXAMPLES
The time it takes sprinters to run 100 meters
The size of real estate lots in a city
The weight of baby elephants
The body temperature of patients with the flu
The deployment altitude of skydivers
None of these variables are countable. Each of them could take on an infinite number of values within a range.

Sample Space Probability

A Random Variable's set of values is the Sample Space. We can show the probability of any one value using this style:
P( X=value)=probability of that value

EXAMPLE #1:
 Looking at the table we see just 1 case of Three Heads,
but 3 cases of Two Heads, 3 cases of One Head, and 1
case of Zero Heads. So:

 P(X = 3) = 1/8
 P(X = 2) = 3/8
 P(X = 1) = 3/8
 P(X = 0) = 1/8

A Range of Values
We could also calculate the probability that a Random
Variable takes on a range of values.

DISCRETE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

A listing of all possible values of a discrete random variable along with their corresponding probabilities; can be presented in tabular,
graphical, or formula form.
The following properties must be satisfied before a distribution can be considered a discrete probability distribution.
a. The probability of each value of a discrete random variable is between 0 and 1.
b. The sum of all the probabilities is 1.
∑ P ( X )=1.

Discrete Probability Distribution

Example1. Consider the following table.
X 0 1 2 3
P(X) 0.125 0.375 0.375 0.125

SOLUTION

In the table, the random variable X assumes that values 0,1,2, and 3. The corresponding probabilities of those values are 0.125, 0.375, 0.375 and 0.125,
respectively. These corresponding probabilities are each less than 1 but greater than 0 and when added, the sum is 1.
∑ P ( X )=0.125+0.375+ 0.375+0.125
¿ 1.
Example 2. A random variable X has the following probability distribution.
X 1 2 3 4
P(X) 0.25 0.01 k 0.24
 SOLUTION

Use the second property of discrete probability distribution determine P(3).

∑ P ( X )=P ( 1 )+ P ( 2 ) + P ( 3 ) + P(4)
¿ 0.25+0.01+ k +0.24
1=0.5+k
k =1−0.5
k =0.5

LESSON 2 PROBABILITY MASS FUNCTION OF DISCRETE RANDOM VARIABLE

Probability Mass Function (PMF): The probability function for a discrete probability distribution because probability is massed at discrete
values of the random variable.
Example: Suppose 60% of the students at a Senior High School prefer getting their daily news from the internet as opposed to television. These are
the only two choices. Four students are randomly selected. Let x be the number of students sampled who prefer news from the internet. Obtain the
probability distribution of X and plot the probability histogram.
SOLUTION

X=0 X=1 X=2 X=3 X=4

TTTT TTTI TTII TIII IIII
TTIT TITI ITII
TITT TIIT IITI
ITTT ITTI IIIT
ITIT
IITT
By substitution:
P(I )=0.6 P(T )=0.4
P ( TTTT )=0.4 ×0.4 × 0.4 × 0.4=0.0256
So P ( X=0 )=0.0256
3
P ( TTTI )= ( 0.4 ) × ( 0.6 ) × 4=0.1536
So, P ( X=1 )=0.1536
P ( X=2 )=0.3456
P ( X=3 )=0.3456
P ( X=4 )=0.1296
The probability distribution of x above Probabilities can be presented in a tabular form:
X 0 1 2 3 4
f(x) 0.0256 0.1536 0.3456 0.3456 0.1296

0.0256+ 0.1536+0.3456+ 0.3456+0.1296 the total sum is 1.

0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
Probability Pr(X)

0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0 1 2 3 4
Variable x

EXPECTED VALUE OF A DISCRETE RANDOM VARIABLE

The expected value of a discrete random variable X , denoted by E( X ), is equal to the weighted average of the elements x in the Support S where
each element where weighted by its respective probability, by using the following formula:
∑ E ( X ) =xf ( x)
x∈ S

Example: Compute the expected value.

X 0 1 2 3
f(x) 0.25 0.60 0.15 0.10
SOLUTION

¿ 0 ( 0.25 ) +1 ( 0.60 ) +2 ( 0.15 ) +3 (0.10)

¿ 1.2.
C. Individual Practice
Exercise 1. Classification
Instruction: Classify the following random variables as continuous or discrete.
1. The number of birds in a nest.
2. The height of water in a river.
3. The weights in kg of randomly selected dancers after taking up aerobics.
4. The number of male athletes.
5. The number of goods sold in a retail store.
6. The number of mobile phones sold in one week in a hospital nursery.
7. The weight in pounds of newly born babies in a hospital nursery.
8. The number of cars in a parking lot every noon.
9. The amount of sugar in a cup of coffee.
10. The number of voters favoring a candidate.
Exercise 2. Solving
Instruction: Solve each problem.
1. A random variable X has the following probability distribution:
X 0 1 2 3 4
f(x) 0.15 0.20 0.24 0.06
Find P(2).
2. A random variable X has the following probability distribution:
X 1 2 3 4
f(x) 0.23 Y 0.30 0.20
Determine Y.
D. Collaborative Activity
Activity s1. Think-Pair-Share
1. Construct a probability distribution for rolling a single die. Find the expected value
2. Represent graphically the probability distribution for the sample space for tossing three coins. Find the expected value
Activity 2. Group Discussion
Instruction: Discuss with your group all the parts of our discussion which you didn’t understand well. After discussing it to the group, present it in the
class and choose a group that would help answer your concerns.
III.INTEGRATION
“Problems are to the mind what exercise is to the muscles; they toughen and make strong.”
−¿Norman Vincent Peale
D. CLOSURE:
Do you agree with what is being stated in the integration section? Why and why not? (10pts)

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