Statistics and
Probability
Quarter 3
Random Variables &
Probability Distributions
Definition of terms
Statistics
The word statistics actually comes from the word “state” –
because government have been in the statistical activities
especially the conduct of censuses.
Is defined as a science that studies data to be able to
make a decision,
It involves the methods of collecting, processing,
summarizing and analysing data in order to provide
answers or solutions to an inquiry.
Probabilit
Definition of terms
y
Probability is simply how likely something is to
happen.
Whenever we’re unsure about the outcome of an
event, we can talk about the probabilities of certain
outcomes—how likely they are.
The analysis of events governed by probability is
called statistics.
Definition of terms
Activity
Activity is any activity which can be done repeatedly
under similar conditions
Examples:
• answering multiple choice question
• answering true or false question
• tossing a coin
SampleDefinition of terms
Space
the set of all POSSIBLE outcomes of an experiment
Examples:
• answering multiple choice question; possible outcome:
a, b, c, d
• true or false question; possible outcome: true, false
• tossing a coin; possible outcome: TAIL, HEAD
Definition of terms
Universe
Universe is the collection or set of units or entities from whom we got the
data.
Variable
A variable is a characteristic that is observable or measurable in every
unit of the universe.
Population
Population is the set of all possible values of a variable.
Sample
Sample is the subgroup of a universe or of a population.
Random
Random Variables and Probability
Lesson 1:
Distribution
Variable It is a function that associates a real number to each element
in the sample space.
It is a result of chance in an event that you can measure or
count.
It is a numerical quantity that is assigned to the outcome of an
experiment.
NOTE: We use capital letters to represent a random variable.
Random Variables EXAMPLE
Steps in Finding the Random Variable
Step 1: List the sample space, S
Step 2: Count the number of the
assigned Value in each outcome and
assign this number to this outcome.
Step 3: Make a Conclusion
Random Variables EXAMPLE
Example #1
Suppose two coins are tossed and we are interested to determine the
number of tails that will come out. Let us use T to represent the number of
tails that will come out. Determine the values of the random variable T.
Solution:
Step 1: List the sample space, S
Step 2: Count the number of the
assigned Value in each outcome
and assign this number to this
outcome.
Step 3: Make a Conclusion The values of the random variable T (number
of tails) in this experiment are 0, 1 and 2.
Random Variables EXAMPLE
Example #2
Two balls are drawn in succession without replacement from an urn
containing 5 orange balls and 6 violet balls. Let V be the random variable
representing the number of violet balls. Find the values of the random
variable V. Step 1: List the sample space, S
Step 1: List the sample space, S
Solution:
Step 2: Count the number of the
assigned Value in each outcome
and assign this number to this
outcome.
Step 3: Make a Conclusion The values of the random variable V (number of
violet balls) in this experiment are 0, 1, and 2.
