Ms.

Amna Riaz
Lecturer, Department of Statistics, UOG
Email: [email protected]

Chapter 8: Discrete Probability distributions

A discrete probability distribution gives the probability of every possible value of a discrete
random variable. Some most often used discrete probability distributions in statistical theory and
analysis are
 Binomial probability distribution (with replacement)
 Hypergeometric probability distribution (without replacement)
 Poisson probability distribution
Binomial probability distribution:
Many experiments consist of repeated independent trials, each trial having only two possible
outcomes. For example, two possible outcomes of a trial may be
Success and failure
Head and tail
Right and wrong
Alive and dead
Good and defective
Infected and not infected and so forth
If the probability of each outcome remains the same throughout the trials then such trials are
called the Bernoulli trials and the experiment having n Bernoulli trials is called the Binomial
experiment.
A Binomial experiment has the following properties
Properties of Binomial Experiment:
 The outcomes of each trial may be classified into one of the two mutually exclusive
categories success and failure.
 There is a fixed number of trials (the experiment is repeated a fixed number of times i.e. n
times).
 Successive trials are independent.
 The probability of success remains constant.
When 𝑋 denotes the number of success in 𝑛 trials of a binomial experiment, it is called a
Binomial random variable and its probability distribution is called the Binomial probability
distribution
A random variable 𝑋 is defined to have a Binomial Distribution, if the probability function of X
is given by
𝑛
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑝 𝑞 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛
𝑥

𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 0 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒

Binomial distribution is a discrete distribution as Binomial random variable 𝑋 can assume non-
negative values such that 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛. Binomial distribution has two parameters.
𝑛 (𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑠)
𝑝 (𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠)
Where 𝑞 = 1 − 𝑝

Do it by yourself
Chapter 8,
Solved Examples: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, (pg. # 287-290)
Exercise questions 8.2 (b), 8.3 (a & b), 8.4 (a & b), 8.5 (a, b & c), 8.6 (a & b), 8.7, 8.8 (a & b),
(pg. # 332-333)
Exercise questions 8.2 (b): Let 𝑋 be a binomial distribution with 𝑛 = 3 & 𝑝 = 0.4, Find

𝑃 𝑋= , 𝑃(𝑋 = 2), 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2), 𝑃(𝑋 = −2) & 𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2).

Solution:
The Binomial probability mass function of 𝑋 is
𝑛
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑝 𝑞 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛
𝑥
with 𝑛 = 3 & 𝑝 = 0.4 & 𝑞 = 1 − 𝑝 = 1 − 0.4 = 0.6
3
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = (0.4) (0.6) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3
𝑥
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 0 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒

Now 𝑃 𝑋 =
3
𝑃 𝑋= =0
2
As 𝑋 = is not in the range of 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3

Now 𝑃(𝑋 = 2)
3
𝑃(𝑋 = 2) = (0.4) (0.6)
2
𝑃(𝑋 = 2) = 3 ∗ (0.16) ∗ (0.6) = 0.288
Now 𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2)
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 0) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2)
3 3 3
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = (0.4) (0.6) + (0.4) (0.6) + (0.4) (0.6)
0 1 2
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = 1 ∗ (1) ∗ (0.216) + 3 ∗ (0.4) ∗ (0.36) + 3 ∗ (0.16) ∗ (0.6)
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = 0.936
or
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = 1 − 𝑃(𝑋 = 3)
3
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = 1 − (0.4) (0.6)
3
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = 1 − 0.064 = 0.936
Now 𝑃(𝑋 = −2)
𝑃(𝑋 = −2) = 0
As 𝑋 = −2 is not in the range of 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3
Now 𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2)
𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 2) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 3)
3 3
𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2) = (0.4) (0.6) + (0.4) (0.6)
2 3
 𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2) = 0.288𝑍 + 0.064 = 0.352
Questions 8.3 (a): A die is rolled five times and a 5 or 6 is considered a success. Find the
probability of (i) no success (ii) at least two successes (iii) at least one but not more than 3
successes.
Solution:
The Binomial probability mass function of 𝑋 is
𝑛
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑝 𝑞 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛
𝑥
𝑛 =5&𝑝= = 𝑞 =1−𝑝=1− =

5 1 2
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
𝑥 3 3
(i) no success 𝑃(𝑋 = 0)
(ii) at least two successes 𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 2) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 3) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 4) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 5)
(iii) at least one but not more than 3 successes.
𝑃(1 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 3) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 3)
Questions 8.3 (b): Using a binomial distribution, find the probability of
(i) 3 successes in 8 trials when 𝑝 = 0.4,
(ii) 2 failures in 6 trials when 𝑝 = 0.6,
(iii) 2 or fewer successes in 9 trials when 𝑝 = 0.4,
Solution:
The Binomial probability mass function of 𝑋 is
𝑛
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑝 𝑞 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛
𝑥
(i) 3 successes in 8 trials when 𝑝 = 0.4, 𝑃(𝑋 = 3)
(ii) 2 failures in 6 trials when 𝑝 = 0.6, 𝑃(𝑋 = 4)
(iii) 2 or fewer successes in 9 trials when 𝑝 = 0.4
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 2) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 0) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2)
Questions 8.4 (a): Find the probability of getting (i) exactly 4 heads and (ii) not more than 4
heads, when 6 coins are tossed.
Solution:
The Binomial probability mass function of 𝑋 is
𝑛
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑝 𝑞 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛
𝑥
𝑛 =6&𝑝= 𝑞 =1−𝑝=1− =
 6 1 1
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
𝑥 2 2
(i) exactly 4 heads, 𝑃(𝑋 = 4)
(ii) not more than 4 heads
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 4) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 0) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 3) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 4)
Or
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 4) = 1 − 𝑃(𝑋 > 4)
𝑃(𝑋 ≤ 4) = 1 − {𝑃(𝑋 = 5) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 6)}
Questions 8.4 (b): Find the probability of getting (i) 2 or more heads (ii) fewer than 4 heads, in a
single toss of 6 fair coins.
Solution:
The Binomial probability mass function of 𝑋 is
𝑛
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑝 𝑞 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛
𝑥
𝑛 =6&𝑝= 𝑞 =1−𝑝=1− =

6 1 1
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
𝑥 2 2
(i) 2 or more heads,
𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 2) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 3) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 4) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 5) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 6)
Or
𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2) = 1 − 𝑃(𝑋 < 2)
𝑃(𝑋 ≥ 2) = 1 − {𝑃(𝑋 = 0) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 1)}
(ii) fewer than 4 heads
𝑃(𝑋 < 4) = 𝑃(𝑋 = 0) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 1) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 2) + 𝑃(𝑋 = 3)
Questions 8.6 (b): if on the average rain falls on twelve days in every thirty, find the probability
that (i) the first three days of a given week will be fine and remaining wet, (ii) rain will fall on
just three days of a given week.
Solution:
Rain falls on twelve days in every thirty
12
𝑝= = 0.4
30
𝑞 = 1 − 𝑝 = 1 − 0.4 = 0.6
(i) the first three days of a given week will be fine and remaining wet
𝑝. 𝑝. 𝑝. 𝑞. 𝑞. 𝑞. 𝑞 = (0.4) (0.6) = 0.0055
(ii) rain will fall on just three days of a given week.
The Binomial probability mass function of 𝑋 is
𝑛
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 𝑝 𝑞 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 0, 1, 2, 3, … ,7
𝑥
𝑛 = 7 & 𝑝 = 0.4 𝑞 = 0.6 𝑃(𝑋 = 3)
7
𝑃(𝑋 = 3) = (0.4) (0.6)
3
𝑃(𝑋 = 3) = 0.2903