Chapter 6.

Discrete
Probability Distributions

What Is Probability Distribution? Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 1

What Is A Probability Distributions
Probability distributions gives the entire range
of values that can occur based on an
experiment.

Probability distributions:
A listing of all the outcomes of an experiment
and the probability associated with each
outcome.
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 2
Distribution?
Example:
Suppose we are interested in the number of
heads showing face up on three tosses of a coin.
This is the experiment. The possible results are:
- zero heads,
- One head,
- Two heads, and
- Three heads.

What is the probability distribution for the number of

heads?
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 3
Distribution?
The Results Are:
Coin Toss
Possible Result First Second Third Number Of
Heads
1 T T T 0
2 T T H 1
3 T H T 1
4 T H H 2
5 H T T 1
6 H T H 2
7 H H T 2
8 H H H 3

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 4

Distribution?
Probability Distribution For The Event Of Zero, One, Two, And
Three Heads From Three Tosses Of Coin

Number Of Heads (X) Probability Of Outcome ,

P(X)
0 1/8 = 0.125

1 3/8 = 0.375

2 3/8 = 0.375

3 1/8 = 0.125

Total 8/8 = 1.000

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 5
Distribution?
What Is A Probability Distributions
(continued)
Character Of A Probability Distribution:
1. The probability of a particular outcome
is between 0 and 1 inclusive.
2. The outcome are mutually exclusive.
3. The sum of the probabilities of the
various events is equal to 1.

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 6

Distribution?
Random Variables
Random Variable:
a quantity resulting from an experiment that,
by chance, can assume different values.

A random variable may be either discrete or

continuous.

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 7

Distribution?
Random Variables (continued)
Discrete Random Variable:
- that can assume only certain clearly
separated values.

Continuous Random Variable:

- can assume one of an infinitely large
number of values, within certain
limitations.
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 8
Distribution?
The Mean, Variance, And Standard Deviation Of
A Discrete Probability Distributions
Mean:
- represent the central location of a
probability distributions.
- the long run average value of the random
variable.
- referred to as its expected value.

Equation 6-1 Page 185 (Lind).

= {X.P(X)}
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 9
Distribution?
The Mean, Variance, And Standard Deviation Of
A Discrete Probability Distributions (continued)
Variance And Standard Deviation:

Equation 6-2 Page 185 (Lind).

2 = {(X )2P(X)}

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 10

Distribution?
Example:
John Ragsdale sells new cars for Pelican Ford.
John usually sells the largest number of cars on
Saturday. He has developed the following
probability distribution for the number of cars he
expects to sell on a particular Saturday

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 11

Distribution?
Example:
Number Of Cars Sold (X) Probability, P(X)
0 0.10
1 0.20
2 0.30
3 0.30
4 0.10
Total 1.00
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 12
Distribution?
Example:
On a typical Saturday, how many cars does
John expect to sell?

= {X.P(X)}
= 0(0.10) + 1(0.20) + 2(0.30) + 3(0.30) +
4(0.10)
= 2.1

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 13

Distribution?
Binomial Probability Distribution
Widely occurring discrete probability distribution.
There are only two possible outcomes on a particular trial of an
experiment.
The outcomes are mutually exclusive.

Equation 6-3 Page 190 (Lind).

P(X) = nCx x (1-)n-x
P(X) = binomial probability
n = the number of trials
C = combination
x = the random variable defined as the number of successes
= the probability of a success on each trial

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 14

Distribution?
Binomial Probability Distribution
(continued)
Mean Of A Binomial Distribution:
- equation 6-4 Page 191 (Lind).
= n

Variance Of A Binomial Distribution:

- equation 6-5 Page 191 (Lind).
2 = n(1-)
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 15
Distribution?
Example:
There are five flights daily from Pittsburg via US
Airways into the Bradford, Pennsylvania,
Regional Airport. Suppose the probability that
any flight arrives late is 0.20.
- What is the probability that none of the flight
are late today?
- What is the probability that exactly one of the
flights is late today?
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 16
Distribution?
Example:
= 0.20
n=5
x = the number of successes
case a success is a plane that arrives
late.

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 17

Distribution?
Example
No late arrivals (x = 0)
P(0) = 5C0(0.20)0(1-0.20)5-0 = 0.3277

The probability that exactly one of the five

flights will arrive late today is:
P(1) = 5C1(0.20)1(1-0.20)5-1 = 0.4096

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 18

Distribution?
Hypergeometric Probability
Distribution
An outcome on each trial of an experiment is classified into
one of two mutually exclusive categories, a success or a
failure.

The random variable is the number of successes in a fixed

number of trials.

The trials are not independent.

We assume that we sample from a finite population without

replacement and n/N>0.05.

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 19

Distribution?
 Hypergeometric Distribution:
P(x) = [(sCx) (N-sCn-x)] / (NCn)
s = the number of successes in the population
C = combination
x = the number of successes in the sample
N = the size of population
n = the size of the sample or the number of
trials
What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 20
Distribution?
Poisson Probability Distribution
Describes the number of times some event occurs
during a specified interval.

The interval may be time, distance, area, or volume.

Equation 6-7 Page 203 (Lind).

Equation 6-8 Page 204 (Lind).

Example Page 204.

What Is Probability Ir. Muhril A., M.Sc., Ph.D. 21
Distribution?