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Statistics and Probability

Third Quarter
Module 4: Calculating Mean
and Variance of a Discrete
Random Variable

1
 Republic of the Philippines
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SCHOOLS DIVISION OF SIQUIJOR
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 11

Statistics and Probability

Third Quarter
Module 4: Calculating Mean
and Variance of a Discrete
Random Variable

3
 Introduction

This module is written in support of the K to 12 Basic Education

Program to ensure the attainment of standards expected of you as a
learner.

This aims to equip you with essential knowledge on how to calculate

the Mean and Variance of a Discrete Random Variable.

This includes the following activities/ tasks:

• Expected Learning Outcome - This lays out the learning outcome

that you are expected to have accomplished at the end of the module.
• Pretest - This determines your prior learning on the particular lesson
you are about to take.
• Discussion of the Lesson - This provides you with the important
knowledge, principles and attitude that will help you meet the
expected learning outcome.
• Learning Activities – These provide you with the application of the
knowledge and principles you have gained from the lesson and
enable you to further enhance your skills as you carry out prescribed
tasks.
• Post – test – This evaluates your overall understanding about the
module.

With the different activities provided in the module, may you find this
material engaging and challenging as it develops your critical thinking skills.

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 What I Need To Know

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

➢ calculate the mean and the variance of a discrete random variable.

What I Know

I. Directions: Read each item carefully and choose the letter of the correct
answer. Write it in your notebook.

For items number 1 and 2, refer to the table below.

Number of items (x) Probability P (x) X P (x)

3 0.15 0.45
4 0.10 0.40
5 0.20 1.00
6 0.25 1.50
7 0.30 2.10
∑ x P (x) 5.45
1. In the given distribution below, what do you call the value of
5.45?

A. Mean of the probability distribution

B. Mode of the probability distribution
C. Median of the probability distribution
D. Variance of the probability distribution

2. In the probability distribution above, what is the variance of

the random variable?

A. 7.91
B. 9.17
C. 1.97
D. 1.79

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 3. Find the mean of the variable Z representing the number of
male teachers per elementary school.
Z 3 4 5 6 7
P (Z) 40% 32% 11% 9% 8%
A. 4.13
B. 3.14
C. 1.43
D. 4.31

4. The number of inquires received per day by the office of

admissions in a certain university is shown below:
No. of inquiries x Probability P (x)
22 0.08
23 0.19
24 0.36
25 0.25
26 0.07
27 0.05

Find the mean and the variance

A. 19.24, 1.45
B. 24.19, 5.41
C. 91.42, 4.15
D. 24.19, 1.45

5. Which statement about standard deviation is correct?

A. The smaller the standard deviation the spread the

scores are.
B. The larger the standard deviation the less spread the
scores are.
C. The larger the standard deviation the more spread the
scores are.
D. It is a measure of central tendency

For number 6-8, refer to the probability distribution below:

X 0 1 2 3
P (x) 1/8 3/8 3/8 1/8

6. What is the mean of the probability distribution?

A. 1. 5
B. 1.2
C. 1.6
D. 1.8

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 7. What is the variance of the probability distribution?
A. 0. 50
B. 0.75
C. 1.00
D. 1.25

8. Find the standard deviation.

A. 0.71
B. 0.87
C. 1.00
D. 1.25s

9. Which of the following is the weighted average of all the

values that the random variable X would assume?
A. Mean
B. Mode
C. Variance
D. Standard Deviation

For numbers 10-12 refer to the table of values below:

x 0 1 2 3 4
P(x) 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.1

10. What is the mean?

A. 2.0
B. 2.1
C. 2.3
D. 2.4

11. What is the variance?

A. 1.29
B. 1.30
C. 1.31
D. 1.32

12. What is the standard deviation?

A.1.11
B. 1.12
C.1.13
D. 1.14

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 What’s In

Directions: Answer the following and write it in your notebook.

1. What is a discrete probability distribution?

2. State the properties to be satisfied before a distribution can

be considered a discrete probability distribution.

3. How can be this probability distribution presented?

What’s New

Study the table of values below. Analyze the distribution when a

coin is tossed three times and observe how the values in the third
column computed.

X= no of heads P(x) X P(x)

0 1/8 0
1 3/8 3/8
2 3/8 6/8
3 1/8 3/8
12/8 =1.5

1. How are the values in the third column computed?

2. What does the value 1.5 mean?

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 What Is It

Given a discrete random variable X, the mean denoted by µ, (read as

“mu”) is the sum of the products formed from multiplying the possible
values of x with their corresponding probabilities. It is also called the
expected value of x and a symbol E (x).

The mean µ or the expected value E (x) of a discrete random variable

x is computed using the following formula:

µ = ∑(x P (X))

where;

X = discrete random variable,

x = outcome or value of the random variable
P(x) = probability of the outcome x

Consider the following examples:

Example 1.

A researcher surveyed the households in a small town. The

random variable X represents the number of college graduates in the
households. The probability distribution of x is shown below:

X 0 1 2
P (x) 0.25 0.50 0.25

Find the average number of college graduates of the household

in a small town.

Solution:

Step1. Identify the individual products of each outcome and their

corresponding probability and then determine the summation.

µ = ∑ x P(x)
µ = 0(0.25) + 1( 0.50) + 2(0.25)
µ = 0 + 0.50 +0.5
µ = 1.00

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 Since the mean µ = 1.00, therefore the average number of
college graduates of the household in a small town is 1.

We can also find the mean using table of values. Look at the
table below.

X P(x) X P(x)
0 0.25 0
1 0.50 0.50
2 0.25 0.50
3 ∑x P(x)= 1.00

The expected value is 1. So the average number of college

graduates in the household of the small town is 1.

Which of the solutions above is easy for you to use? Notice that
the answers are the same.

Example 2.

A security guard recorded the number of people entering the bank

every hour during one working day. The random variable X represents the
number of people who entered the bank. The probability distribution of X
is shown below:

x 0 1 2 3 4 5
P (x) 0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.1

What is the expected number of people who enters the bank every
hour?

Solution:
a. Identify the individual products of each outcome and their
corresponding probability, and then determine the summation.
µ = ∑ x P(x)
µ = 0(0) +1(0.1) + 2(0.2) +3(0.4) +4(0.2) + 5(0.1)
µ = 0 + 0.1 + 0.4 + 1.2 + 0.8 + 0.5
µ =3

The average number of people entering the bank every hour

during the working day is three.

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 b. Solution using the table of values.

x P(x) X P(x)
0 0 0
1 0.1 0.1
2 0.2 0.4
3 0.4 1.2
4 0.2 0.8
5 0.1 0.5
∑ P(x) =1.0 ∑│ x P(x)│=3.0

Therefore, the average number of people entering the bank every

hour during that working day is three.

Variance and Standard Deviation of a Discrete Random Variable

Another important characteristic in describing a given probability

distribution is the variance and its related standard deviation. Recall that
variance and standard deviation are measures of variability, which means
that they describe the degree of homogeneity or heterogeneity of a given set
of data. This is also the case for random variables.

The variance and standard deviation are two values that describe how
scattered or spread out the scores are from the mean value of the random
variable. The variance denoted as σ2 (read as sigma squared), is determine
using the formula:

σ2= ∑ (x- µ) 2 P (x)

where:
X = outcome
µ =population mean
P (x) = probability of the outcome

The larger the value of the variance, the farther is the values of x from
the mean.

The standard deviation of a discrete random variable X is written as:

σ = √(𝒙 − µ)𝟐 𝑷 (𝒙)

The following steps will simplify the process of computing the

variance and standard deviation:
1. Compute the mean value of the random variable.
2. Subtract each value from the mean and square the differences.
3. Multiply the squared differences by the corresponding probabilities.
4. Add all the products. This gives the variance of the probability.

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Consider the examples below:

Example 3.

Determine the variance and the standard deviation of the following

probability distribution below:

x 0 1 2 3 4
P (x) 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.1
Solution:

X P (x) x-µ ( x-µ) ( x-µ)2 ( x-µ)2 P (x)

0 0.1 0 0-2.1=-2.1 4.41 0.441
1 0.2 0.2 1-2.1=1.1 1.21 0.242
2 0.3 0.6 2-2.1 = - 0.1 0.01 0.003
3 0.3 0.9 3- 2.1 =0.9 0.81 0.243
4 0.1 0.4 4- 2.1 =1.9 3.61 0.361
∑[ x P(x)=2.1 ∑[ (x-µ)2 P (x)= 1.29

Step1. Compute the mean.

µ = ∑ x P (x)
µ = 0+0.2+0.6+0.9 + 0.4
µ = 2.1

Therefore, the mean is 2.1.

Step 2. Find the variance

σ2 = ∑ [ ( x-µ)2 P (x) ]
σ2 = 1 29

Therefore, the variance is 1.29.

Step3. Find the standard deviation

σ = √(𝒙 − µ)𝟐 𝑷 (𝒙)

σ = √1.29

σ = 1.14

Therefore, the standard deviation is 1.14.

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 What‘s More

Directions: Do the following activities and write your answers in your

notebook.

Find the expected value or mean µ, variance and standard

deviation of the probability distribution below using any of the
methods presented in the examples. Show your solution.

X 0 1 2 3
P (x) 0.15 0.32 0.37 0.16

What I Have Learned

I learned that:

➢ the mean μ is the sum of the products formed from multiplying

the possible values of x with their corresponding probabilities.
It is also called the expected value or E(X).
➢ variance and standard deviation are the two values that describe
how scattered or spread out the scores are from the mean value
of the random variable.
➢ to compute the mean , variance and standard deviation, the
following steps are to be followed:

1. Compute the mean value of the random variable.

2. Subtract each value from the mean and square
the differences.
3. Multiplied the squared differences by the
corresponding probabilities.
4. Add all the products. This gives the variance
of the probability distribution.
5. Extract the square root of the resulting variance
to get the value of the standard deviation.

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 What I Can Do

Activity:

Apply what you have learned in this lesson by doing the

activity below. Find the mean, variance and standard deviation of the
following probability distribution. Write your solutions in your
notebook.

X 0 1 2 3
P(x) 0.15 0.38 0.33 0.14

Assessment

I. Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer and write it in your
notebook.

1. What do you call the sum of the products formed by multiplying

the possible values of x with their corresponding probabilities?
A. mean
B. mode
C. variance
D. standard deviation.

2. Find the mean of the probability distribution below.

X 0 1 2 3 4
P(x) 0.0625 0.25 0.375 0.25 0.0625
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

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3. In the probability distribution below, what value is 5.45?
X P(x) X P(x)
3 0.15 0.45
4 0.10 0.40
5 0.20 1.00
6 0.25 1.50
7 0.30 2.10
∑x P(x) =5.45
A. Mean of a probability distribution
B. Mode of the probability distribution
C. Median of the probability distribution
D. Variance of the probability distribution

4. From the table in number 3, what is the variance of the probability

distribution?
A. 1.79
B. 1.95
C. 7.91
D. 9.17

5. What is the positive square root of a variance?

A. Mean of a discrete random variable
B. Median of a discrete random variable
C. Mode of a discrete random variable
D. Standard deviation of a random variable

6. Given the probability distribution below, find the mean

A. 1.43 X 3 4 5 6 7
B. 3.14 P(x) 0.40 0.32 0.11 0.09 0.08
C. 4.13
D. 4.31

For numbers 7 and 8. Refer to the probability distribution below:

X 22 23 24 25 26 27
P(x) 0.08 0.19 0.36 0.25 0.07 0.05
7. Find the mean.
A. 19.24
B. 20.19
C. 22.19
D. 24.19

8. Find the variance.

A. 1.35
B. 1.45
C. 4.15
D. 5.41

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 9. What statement about a standard deviation is CORRECT?
A. The smaller the standard deviation the spread the scores are.
B. The larger the standard deviation the less spread the scores are.
C. The larger the standard deviation the more spread the scores
are.
D. It is a measure of a central tendency.
For numbers 10-12, refer to the probability distribution below:

X 0 1 2 3
P(x) 1/8 3/8 3/8 1/8

10. What is the mean of the probability distribution?

A. 1.2
B. 1.5
C. 1.6
D. 1.8

11. What is the variance?

A. 50
B. 0.75
C. 1.00
D. 1.25

12. Find the standard deviation.

A. 0.71
B. 0.87
C. 1.00
D. 1.25

II. Find the mean, variance and standard deviation of the following
probability distribution:

X 0 1 2 3
P(x) 0.20 0.30 0.32 0.18

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References:
Raymond B. Canlapan : Statistics And Probability Module,DIWA Learning
System Inc.

Millard Mamhot,Phd, Alicia A. Mamhot M.S : Statistics And Probability ,

Published by Unlimited Books And Library Services And Publishing
Inc.

Jesus P. Mercado , Fernando B. Orines : Statistics And Probability ,

PHOENIX Publishing House

Statistics And Probability Teaching Guide adapted from:

De Veau, R.D, Velleman.P.F..and Bock. D. E. (2006).Intro Stats.Pearson Ed.

Inc

Workbooks in Statistics 1,11th Edition.Institute of Statistics, UP, Los

Banos,College Laguna 4031

Probability and Statistics: Module 18. (2013). Australian Mathematical

Science Institute and Education services Australia. Retrieved from
http//www.amsi.org.au.ESA_Senior_Years/PDF/Probability4a.pdf

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