Scribd
Upload
22 views6 pages

STA201 Biostatistics Lecture Note II

Uploaded by

igwiloinnocent456
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
22 views6 pages

STA201 Biostatistics Lecture Note II

Uploaded by

igwiloinnocent456
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Concepts and Principles of Probability

Probability is a fundamental concept in mathematics and statistics that quantifies the likelihood
of different outcomes in various situations. Understanding probability is essential in making
informed decisions, assessing risk, and solving problems in diverse fields. In the realm of health
sciences, probability plays a pivotal role, providing a foundation for making predictions,
drawing inferences, and optimizing decision-making processes.
Examples of Probability measure
Fair Coin Toss:
• Probability of getting heads (H): P(H) = 0.5
• Probability of getting tails (T): P(T) = 0.5
• Since there are only two possible outcomes, the sum of probabilities is 1: P(H) + P(T)
= 0.5 + 0.5 = 1
Standard Six-sided Die:
• Probability of rolling a 4: P(4) = 1/6 (approximately 0.1667)
1 5
• Probability of rolling any other number (1, 2, 3, 5, 6): P(not 4) =1 − 6 = 6

(approximately 0.8333)
• The sum of all possible outcomes is 1: P(4) + P(not 4) = 1/6 + 5/6 = 1.
Deck of Cards:
13 1
• Probability of drawing a spade from a standard deck: P(spade) 52 = 4

• Probability of drawing a heart: P(heart) = 1/4


• Probability of drawing any other suit (diamond or club): P(not spade) = P(diamond) +
P(club) = 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2
• The sum of all suit probabilities is 1: P(spade) + P(heart) + P(not spade) = 1/4 + 1/4 +
1/2 = 1.
Bernoulli Distribution
• Application:
Used for binary outcomes in medical studies, such as:
o Determining whether a patient responds to treatment (yes/no).
o Analyzing the result of a diagnostic test (positive/negative).

Binomial Distribution
• Application:
Used when modeling the number of successes in a fixed number of independent trials,
such as:
o Estimating the number of patients recovering in a clinical trial with a fixed
sample size.
o Studying vaccination effectiveness, where the outcome for each individual is
either immune or not.

Poisson Distribution
• Application:
Used for modeling the number of events occurring in a fixed interval of time or space,
such as:
o Counting the number of hospital admissions per hour.
o Predicting the number of new disease cases reported in a region during a day.
o Estimating the occurrence of adverse drug reactions in a set time frame.

Hypergeometric Distribution
• Application:
Used for sampling without replacement from a finite population, such as:
o Selecting a sample of blood tests from a lab batch to determine how many are
positive for a specific disease.
o Evaluating defective medical supplies (e.g., syringes) in a shipment when
testing without replacing items.

Examples illustrating PMFs for common discrete random variables

You might also like