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Random Variables

The document explains the use of the cumulative distribution function (cdf) and normalcdf function on calculators for calculating probabilities associated with normally distributed random variables. It provides examples of how to find probabilities for various scenarios, including task completion times and lifespan of species, using the normal distribution and inverse normal functions. Additionally, it discusses the benefits of standardizing random variables for comparison and statistical analysis.

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2 views

Random Variables

The document explains the use of the cumulative distribution function (cdf) and normalcdf function on calculators for calculating probabilities associated with normally distributed random variables. It provides examples of how to find probabilities for various scenarios, including task completion times and lifespan of species, using the normal distribution and inverse normal functions. Additionally, it discusses the benefits of standardizing random variables for comparison and statistical analysis.

Uploaded by

duminda9896
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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There is a function on the calculator that gives you the value of this function.

This is never used. The height of the curve doesn’t really tell us anything.
We want the area under the curve, so we use the cdf function.
Recall that the cdf function finds the total probability up to that point.

So for a continuous RV this is the area up to that point.

The cdf function for the normal is built into the calculator

Menu – Probability – Distributions – normalcdf

But it allows you to enter an upper and lower limit. So if F(x) represents the cdf for the normal
with mean μ and Standard deviation σ then:

normalcdf(a, b, μ,σ)=F(b)-F(a)
The normalcdf function on the calculator calculates the area under the normal probability density function between
two values. This gives the probability that the random variable associated with the distribution lies between these two
values.
e.g.
The length of time taken to do a task in a factory is randomly distributed with mean 135 seconds and standard deviation
24 seconds.
a)What is the probability that a randomly chosen worker can complete the task in between 130 and 140 seconds?
P(130<X<140) = normalcdf (130, 140, 135, 24)

b)What is the probability that a randomly chosen worker will take longer than two and a half minutes to complete the
task?
P(X>150) = normalcdf(150,100000,135,24)

c)The company offers a bonus to workers who can complete the task in under 100 seconds. What percentage of the
workers will qualify for the bonus?
P(X<100) = normalcdf(-10000,100,135,24)
1. If the random variable C is normally distributed with mean 140 and standard deviation 5, find these probabilities:
a)P (134 < C < 142)
b)P (C > 149)
c)P (Z = 150 to the nearest 10)

1. If the length of time spent revising by a group of pupils for their IB exams is normally distributed with mean 45
hours and standard deviation 6.5 hours find the probability that a randomly chosen pupil revises for:
a)between 40 and 50 hours
b)39 hours to the nearest hour
c)less than 60 hours
d)more than 47 hours.
The inverse normal function will give the value at which the P(X<a) is the given value.
REMEMBER IT IS ALWAYS THE AREA TO THE LEFT

For example
1. The lifespan of a particular fly species is normally distributed with mean 6 days and standard deviation 2 days. 7%
of the flies are said to die prematurely. What is the maximum lifespan of a fly that is said to die prematurely?
Using Inverse normal(0.07,6,2) gives 3.048 days.

1. The lifespan of a giant tortoise is normally distributed with mean 110 years and standard deviation 25 years. The
oldest 5% of tortoises are said to be geriatric. What age does a tortoise need to reach to be geriatric?
Using inverse normal (0.95, 110, 25) gives 151 years.
Inverse Normal
Exercise
1. If X is normally distributed with mean 45 and standard deviation 6 find q if:
a) P(X<q) = 0.65
b) P(X>q) = 0.82
c) P(45 – q <X < 45 + q) = 0.2

2 . A light bulb factory produces bulbs with a mean life span of 1400 hours with
standard deviation 125 hours. 2% of bulbs have substandard lifespans. What is the
maximum lifespan of a substandard bulb?
Standardized random variables

Standardized random variables are a way of transforming random variables so that they have
a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. This process allows for easier comparison between
different distributions, even if they have different original means and standard deviations.
Standardized random variables are often used in statistics for tasks like hypothesis testing,
creating z-scores, and comparing data from different distributions.
Why Standardize a Random Variable?
Standardizing a random variable has several benefits:

● Comparison: It allows you to compare data points from different distributions on the same scale.
● Interpretation: The value of Z (called the z-score) tells you how many standard deviations a particular
value of X is from the mean. For instance, a z-score of 2 means that the value is 2 standard deviations above
the mean.
● Probability Calculations: Many statistical tests and probability calculations rely on the standard normal
distribution (mean of 0, standard deviation of 1), so standardizing data helps in using these methods.
Mean and standard deviation

1. Y is normally distributed with mean μ and standard deviation 12. Given the
P(X≤130)=0.7 find the value of μ

1. X is normally distributed with mean 50 and standard deviation S. Given the


P(X>60)=0.2 find the value of S
Example 1
A company making rope knows that the standard deviation for the diameter of their rope is
5.7mm. The machine they use to make the rope can be set to have a certain mean. They
want 90% of their rope to be thicker than 18.4mm. To what value should the mean be set?

First find the z value for P(Z>z) = 0.9


Inverse normal (0.1, 0, 1) = -1.282

The actual diameter of the rope can be described by the random variable D where
2
D ~ N(μ, 5.7 ).

We can standardise 18.4 using the formula

But we know that z = -1.282


Example 2
A soft drink company can set the mean and standard deviation on their bottle filling machine.
Their bottles are labelled “500ml” so to avoid trading standard problems at least 80% of their
bottles must have a volume of drink greater than this amount. However the bottles will only hold
515 ml and any that overflow must be thrown away. They want to ensure that only 1% of bottles
need to be thrown away. To what value should they set the mean and standard deviation to fulfill
these conditions?
500-μ=-0.841σ
First calculate the z values:
515-μ=2.236σ
z: P(Z>z) = 0.8 = invnorm(0.2,0,1) = -0.841
z:P(Z>z) = 0.01 = invnorm (0.99,0,1) = 2.326 Solving simultaneously (GDC)
So standardising gives the equations: μ=504, σ=4.87

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