aLesson One: EXPLORING RANDOM VARIABLES

Lesson Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:
 Illustrate a random variable;
 Classify random variables as discrete or continuous; and
 Find the possible values of a random variable.

Unlocking of terms:
1. Experiment –
2. Outcomes –
3. Sample space –
To find out if you are ready to learn this new lesson, do the following activity:

Starting Point
Date: ____________________ Individual Activity # 1 ENTRY CARD
List the sample space of the following experiments.
Experiment Sample Space
1. Tossing a coin
2. Tossing two coins
3. Tossing three coins
4. Rolling a die
5. Rolling a die and tossing a coin simultaneously
6. Drawing a spade from a deck of cards
7. Getting a defective item when two items are randomly selected
from a box of two defective and three non-defective items
8. Drawing a card less than 5 from a deck of cards

Getting Ready
If three coins are tossed, what numbers can be assigned for the frequency of heads that will occur? If
three cards are drawn from a deck, what number can be assigned for the frequency of face cards that will
occur?

In-class Activity 1 Defective Cell Phones

Recall that a variable is a characteristic or attribute that can assume different values. We use capital
letters to denote or represent a variable. In this lesson, we shall discuss variables that are associated with
probabilities, called random variables.
Suppose three cell phones are tested at random. We want to find out the number of defective cell
phones that occur. Thus, to each outcome in the sample space we shall assign a value. These are 0, 1, 2, or 3.
If there is no defective cell phone, we assign the number 0; if there is 1 defective cell phone, we assign the
number 1 and so on…The number of defective cell phones is a random variable. The possible values of this
random variable are 0, 1, 2, and 3.

Illustration:
Let D represent the defective cell phone and N represent the non-defective cell phone. If we let X be
the random variable representing the number of defective cell phones, can you show the values of the
random variable X? Complete the table below to show the values of the random variable.
Possible Outcomes Value of the Random Variable X
(number of defective cell phones)
 A random variable is a function that associates a real number to each element in the sample
space. It is a variable whose values are determined by chance.

In-class Activity 2 Tossing Three Coins

Suppose three coins are tossed. Let Y be the random variable representing the number of tails that
occur. Find the values of the random variable Y. Complete the table below.
Possible Outcomes Value of the Random Variable Y
(number of tails)

∴ The possible values of the random variable Y are ____, ____, ____, and _____.

In-class Activity 3 Drawing Balls from an Urn

Two balls are drawn in succession without replacement from an urn containing 5 red balls and 6 blue
balls. Let Z be the random variable representing the number of blue balls. Find the values of the random
variable Z. Complete the table below.
Possible Outcomes Value of the Random Variable Z
(number of blue balls)

∴ The possible values of the random variable Z are ____, ____, and _____.

Note:
A random variable is a discrete random variable if its set of possible outcomes is countable. Mostly,
discrete random variables represent count data, such as the number of defective chairs produced in a factory.
A random variable is a continuous random variable if it takes on values on a continuous scale. Often,
continuous random variables represent measured data, such as heights, weights, and temperatures. Example:
Suppose an experiment is conducted to determine the distance that a certain type of car will travel using 10
liters of gasoline over a prescribed test course. If distance is a random variable, then we have an infinite
number of distances that cannot be equated to the number of whole numbers.
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: _____________________

Worksheet # 1
1. Four coins are tossed. Let Z be the random variable representing the number of heads that occur. Find
the values of the random variable Z.
Possible Outcomes Value of the Random Variable Z
(number of tails)

2. A shipment of five computers contains two that are slightly defective. If a retailer receives three of
these computers at random, list the elements of the sample space S using the letters D and N for
defective and non-defective computers, respectively. To each sample point assign a value x of the
random variable X representing the number of computers purchased by the retailer which are slightly
defective.
Possible Outcomes Value of the Random Variable X

3. Let T be a random variable giving the number of heads plus the number of tails in three tosses of a
coin. List the elements of the sample space S for the three tosses of the coin and assign a value to each
sample point.
Possible Outcomes Value of the Random Variable T

4. Classify the following random variables as discrete or continuous.

a. The number of defective computers produced by a manufacturer ______________________
b. The weight of newborns each year in a hospital _________________________
c. The number of siblings in a family of a region _________________________
d. The amount of paint utilized in a building project ____________________
e. The number of dropout in a school district for a period of 10 years _________________
f. The speed of a car _________________
g. The number of female athletes ____________________
h. The time needed to finish the test ______________________
i. The amount of sugar in a cup of coffee ___________________
j. The number of people who are playing LOTTO each day _______________
k. The number of accidents per year at an intersection ________________
l. The number of voters favoring a candidate ________________
m. The number of bushels of apples per hectare this year ____________________
n. The number of patient arrivals per hour at a medical clinic___________________
o. The average amount of electricity consumed per household per month __________________
p. The number of deaths per year attributed to lung cancer _____________________