Probability Distribution Commands on the TI-83 and TI-83 Plus

binompdf(n, p [,x]) This command finds the probability that there are x
successes in a binomial experiment with n trials and a probability of success p in a single
trial. If an x value is not listed, all probabilities from 0 to n are given. To save these for
easier viewing, you can do binompdf(n, p) STO L1 and the probability
values will be stored in L1.

binomcdf(n, p [,x]) This command finds the sum of the probabilities from 0
to x successes.

normalcdf(lower bound, upper bound [,:,F]) This command finds
the area under the normal curve between lower bound and upper bound. If it is a
standard normal curve (:=0, F=1), then these values do not need to be specified). If the
lower bound is !4, use -1E99. If the upper bound is 4, use 1E99.

invNorm(area [,:,F]) This command finds the x value that has area to the
left under the normal curve. : and F must be specified if it is not a standard normal curve.


Examples of Probability Distribution Commands

A loaded coin has a 60% chance of showing a head when flipped. The coin is flipped 10
times. This means n=10 and p=.6. Round the answers to 4 decimal places.

a) What is the probability that heads show exactly 8 times? 8 successes, so x=8
binompdf(10, .6, 8) = .1209

b) What is the probability of at most 5 heads? 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 successes, so add up
P(0)+P(1)+P(2)+P(3)+P(4)+P(5) = binomcdf(10, .6, 5) = .3669.

c) What is the probability of 6 to 8 heads? 6, 7, 8 successes, so add up P(6)+P(7)+P(8).

binompdf(10, .6) STO L1 to put all the values into L1. The add the list
elements, P = L1(6)+L1(7)+L1(8)=.5867

If there are many values to add up, you can take the difference between two
cumulative sums as
binomcdf(10, .6, 8) - binomcdf(10, .6, 5) = .5867

Using the standard normal curve (mean = : = 0 and standard deviation = F = 1) find to 4
decimal places the following probabilities,


a) P(-.5<Z<.5) = normalcdf(-.5, .5) = .3829




b) P(Z>1.2) = normalcdf(1.2, 1E99) = .1151




c) P(Z<2.5) = normalcdf(-1E99, 2.5) = .9938




d) find a value of c such that P(z<c) = .65. Draw sketch. Area to left of c is .65.
invNorm(.65)=.3853




e) Find a value of c such that P(z>c) = .22. Draw a sketch. Area to the left of c is 1-
.22=.78. invNorm(.78)=.7722




A normal distribution has a mean of 20 and a standard deviation of 3. What is the
probability that a randomly chosen data point lies in the range 20 to 24? Round to 4
decimal places.

normalcdf(20, 24, 20, 3) = .4088