Probability Distributions: ©the Mcgraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2008 Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin

Probability Distributions
Chapter 6
McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2008

GOALS
 Define the terms probability distribution and random variable.

 Distinguish between discrete and continuous probability
distributions.
 Calculate the mean, variance, and standard deviation of a
discrete probability distribution.
 Describe the characteristics of and compute probabilities using
the binomial probability distribution.
the hypergeometric probability distribution.
the Poisson
2
What is a Probability Distribution?
Experiment: Toss a
coin three times.
Observe the number
of heads. The possible
results are: zero
heads, one head, two
heads, and three
heads.
What is the probability
distribution for the
number of heads?
3
Probability Distribution of Number of
Heads Observed in 3 Tosses of a Coin
4
Characteristics of a Probability
Distribution
5
Random Variables
Random variable - a quantity resulting from an

experiment that, by chance, can assume different
values.
6
Types of Random Variables
 Discrete Random Variable can assume only

certain clearly separated values. It is usually
the result of counting something
 Continuous Random Variable can assume an

infinite number of values within a given
range. It is usually the result of some type of
measurement
7
Discrete Random Variables - Examples
 The number of students in a class.

 The number of children in a family.
 The number of cars entering a carwash in a hour.
 Number of home mortgages approved by Coastal Federal
Bank last week.
8
Continuous Random Variables -
Examples
 The distance students travel to class.

 The time it takes an executive to drive to
work.
 The length of an afternoon nap.
 The length of time of a particular phone call.
9
Features of a Discrete Distribution
The main features of a discrete probability

distribution are:
 The sum of the probabilities of the various
outcomes is 1.00.
 The probability of a particular outcome is
between 0 and 1.00.
 The outcomes are mutually exclusive.
10
The Mean of a Probability Distribution
MEAN
•The mean is a typical value used to represent the
central location of a probability distribution.
•The mean of a probability distribution is also
referred to as its expected value.
11
The Variance, and Standard
Deviation of a Probability Distribution
Variance and Standard Deviation
• Measures the amount of spread in a distribution

• The computational steps are:
1. Subtract the mean from each value, and square this difference.
2. Multiply each squared difference by its probability.
3. Sum the resulting products to arrive at the variance.
The standard deviation is found by taking the positive square root
of the variance.
12
Mean, Variance, and Standard
Deviation of a Probability 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.
13
Mean of a Probability Distribution - Example
14
Variance and Standard
Deviation of a Probability Distribution - Example
15
Binomial Probability Distribution
Characteristics of a Binomial Probability

Distribution
 There are only two possible outcomes on a
particular trial of an experiment.
 The outcomes are mutually exclusive,
 The random variable is the result of counts.
 Each trial is independent of any other trial
16
Binomial Probability Formula
17
Binomial Probability - Example
There are five flights

daily from Pittsburgh
via US Airways into
the Bradford,
Pennsylvania,
Regional Airport.
Suppose the
probability that any
flight arrives late is .
20.
What is the probability
that none of the
flights are late today?
18
Binomial Probability - Excel
19
Binomial Dist. – Mean and Variance
20
Binomial Dist. – Mean and Variance:
Example
For the example

regarding the number
of late flights, recall
that  =.20 and n = 5.
What is the average
number of late flights?
What is the variance of
the number of late
flights?
21
Binomial Dist. – Mean and Variance:
Another Solution
22
Binomial Distribution - Table
Five percent of the worm gears produced by an automatic, high-

speed Carter-Bell milling machine are defective. What is the
probability that out of six gears selected at random none will be
defective? Exactly one? Exactly two? Exactly three? Exactly
four? Exactly five? Exactly six out of six?
23
Binomial Distribution - MegaStat
Five percent of the worm

gears produced by an
automatic, high-
speed Carter-Bell
milling machine are
defective. What is the
probability that out of
six gears selected at
random none will be
defective? Exactly
one? Exactly two?
Exactly three?
Exactly four? Exactly
five? Exactly six out
of six?
24
Binomial – Shapes for Varying 
(n constant)
25
Binomial – Shapes for Varying n
( constant)
26
Cumulative Binomial Probability
Distributions
A study in June 2003 by the Illinois Department of

Transportation concluded that 76.2 percent of front
seat occupants used seat belts. A sample of 12
vehicles is selected. What is the probability the front
seat occupants in at least 7 of the 12 vehicles are
wearing seat belts?
27
Cumulative Binomial Probability
Distributions - Excel
28
Finite Population
A finite population is a population consisting of a fixed number of

known individuals, objects, or measurements. Examples include:
– The number of students in this class.
– The number of cars in the parking lot.
– The number of homes built in Blackmoor
29
Hypergeometric Distribution
The hypergeometric distribution has the

following characteristics:
 There are only 2 possible outcomes.
 The probability of a success is not the
same on each trial.
 It results from a count of the number of
successes in a fixed number of trials.
30
Use the hypergeometric distribution to find the

probability of a specified number of successes
or failures if:
– the sample is selected from a finite population
without replacement
– the size of the sample n is greater than 5% of
the size of the population N (i.e. n/N  .05)
31
32
Hypergeometric Distribution - Example
PlayTime Toys, Inc., employs

50 people in the Assembly
Department. Forty of the
employees belong to a
union and ten do not. Five
employees are selected at
random to form a committee
to meet with management
regarding shift starting
times. What is the
probability that four of the
five selected for the
committee belong to a
union?
33
Hypergeometric Distribution - Example
34
Hypergeometric Distribution - Excel
35
Poisson Probability Distribution
The Poisson probability distribution

describes the number of times some event
occurs during a specified interval. The
interval may be time, distance, area, or
volume.
 Assumptions of the Poisson Distribution
(1) The probability is proportional to the length of
the interval.
(2) The intervals are independent.
36
The Poisson distribution can be

described mathematically using the
formula:
37
 The mean number of successes  can be determined

in binomial situations by n, where n is the number
of trials and  the probability of a success.
 The variance of the Poisson distribution is also equal
to n .
38
Poisson Probability Distribution -
Example
Assume baggage is rarely lost by Northwest Airlines.

Suppose a random sample of 1,000 flights shows a
total of 300 bags were lost. Thus, the arithmetic
mean number of lost bags per flight is 0.3
(300/1,000). If the number of lost bags per flight
follows a Poisson distribution with u = 0.3, find the
probability of not losing any bags.
39
Poisson Probability Distribution - Table
Assume baggage is rarely lost by Northwest Airlines. Suppose a random

sample of 1,000 flights shows a total of 300 bags were lost. Thus, the
arithmetic mean number of lost bags per flight is 0.3 (300/1,000). If the
number of lost bags per flight follows a Poisson distribution with mean
= 0.3, find the probability of not losing any bags
40
End of Chapter 6
41

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Probability Distributions

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2008

 Define the terms probability distribution and random variable.

Random variable - a quantity resulting from an

 Discrete Random Variable can assume only

 Continuous Random Variable can assume an

 The number of students in a class.

 The distance students travel to class.

The main features of a discrete probability

Variance and Standard Deviation

• Measures the amount of spread in a distribution

John Ragsdale sells new cars for Pelican Ford.

Characteristics of a Binomial Probability

There are five flights

For the example

Five percent of the worm gears produced by an automatic, high-

Five percent of the worm

A study in June 2003 by the Illinois Department of

A finite population is a population consisting of a fixed number of

The hypergeometric distribution has the

Use the hypergeometric distribution to find the

PlayTime Toys, Inc., employs

The Poisson probability distribution

The Poisson distribution can be

 The mean number of successes  can be determined

Assume baggage is rarely lost by Northwest Airlines.

Assume baggage is rarely lost by Northwest Airlines. Suppose a random

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