PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS

Definitions

Random Variable: A random variable(r.v) is any function tha assign a numerical value to each
possible outcome.

The r.v is calssified into two 1) discrete random variable 2) continuous random variable

A discrete random variable is a random variable with a finite (or countably infinite) range.

A continuous random variable is a random variable with an interval (either finite or infinite) of
real numbers for its range.

Examples of continuous random variables:

electrical current, length, pressure, temperature, time, voltage, weight.

Examples of discrete random variables:

number of scratches on a surface, proportion of defective parts among 1000 tested, number of
transmitted bits received in error

Decide whether a discrete or continuous random variable is the best model for each of the
following variables:

(a) The time until a projectile returns to earth. (Continuous)

(b) The number of times a transistor in a computer memory changes state in one operation.
(Discrete)

(c) The volume of gasoline that is lost to evaporation during the filling of a gas tank.
(Continuous)

(d) The outside diameter of a machined shaft. (Discrete)

Example:1) Consider the simple condition in which components are arriving from the production
line and they are stipulated to be defective or not defective. Define the random variable X by

1, if the component is defective

𝑋={
0, if the component is not defective.
2) Let X be the random variable defined by the waiting time, in hours, between successive
speeders spotted by a radar unit. The random variable X takes on all values x for which x ≥ 0.

Probability Distribution: The probability distribution of a r.v x is a list of possible values of x

together with their probabilities.

Suppose that the service life, in years, of a hearing aid battery is a random variable having a
Weibull distribution with α = 1/2 and β = 2. (a) How long can such a battery be expected to last?
(b) What is the probability that such a battery will be operating after 2 years?

Solution: Let X be the service life of hearing aid battery.

X ~ Weibull Distribution.

Parameters: with α = 1/2 and β = 2.

Expected life of battery =