SEMI - DETAILED LESSON PLAN IN STATISTICS & PROBABILITY
I. OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
a. define the probability distribution for continuous random variables and
its properties
b. compute probabilities that a given continuous random variable falls in
some interval and
c. compare and contrast the probability density function to the probability
mass function.
II. SUBJECT MATTER
TOPIC: Probability Distribution of Continuous Random Variables
REFERENCES: DepEd Statistic & Probability, Learning Guide
ALMEDA, J.V., T.S. CAPISTRANO, and G.M.F. SARTE. 2010.
Elementary Statistics. The University of the Philippines Press, Quezon
City. pp. 327- 347
MATERIALS USED: Powerpoint Presentation, Book, Whiteboard
III. PROCEDURE
TEACHER’S ACTIVITY
1. Routinary Activity
a. Greetings
b. Prayer
c. Checking of attendance
2. Motivation
DUCK RACE
Directions: Students will be tasked with answering simple questions
about discrete random variables and continuous random variables.
Students will be chosen using Duck Race - Duck Games (online-
stopwatch.com) where all of the students will have equal chances of
being chosen.
1. What is the difference between Discrete Random Variable and
Continuous Random Variable?
2. Identify whether the subsequent random variables are discrete or
continuous by looking at their characteristics.
a. The number of students who were protesting the tuition
increase last semester.
b. The amount of water in a 12-ounce bottle.
3. Suppose a variable X can take the values 1, 2, 3, or 4.
The probabilities associated with each outcome are described by the
following table:
X 1 2 3 4
P( X) 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2
a. What is the probability that X is 4?
b. What is the probability that X is at least 2?
c. What is the probability that X is at most 3?
3. LESSON PROPER
Learning Probe (Analysis)
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to define
probability density function for continuous variables and its properties,
compute probabilities that a given continuous random variable falls in
some interval, and compare and contrast the probability density
function to the probability mass function through the help of teacher’s
detailed explanation and series of examples. Students will be
evaluated through conducting a quiz and giving assignment at the end
of the discussion.
Learning Time (Acquire New Knowledge)
𝑋, that takes on a finite or countably infinite number of possible
In the previous lesson, we learned that for discrete random variable
𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) for all of the possible values of 𝑋.
values, there is a probability distribution (or probability mass function)
Now, for continuous random variables, the probability that 𝑋 takes
on any particular value 𝑥 is zero (0). That is, finding 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) for a
continuous random variable 𝑋 is always known to be zero (0).
Instead, we will need to find the probability that 𝑋 falls in some
interval (𝑎, 𝑏), that is, we'll need to find 𝑃(𝑎 < 𝑋 < 𝑏). We can use a
curve called the probability density function 𝑓(𝑥), for this purpose.
Even though a fast food chain would claim that a hamburger
weighs 100 grams, a randomly- selected hamburger might weigh 98
grams while another might weigh 103 grams. What is the probability
grams? That is, if we let 𝑋 denote the weight (in grams) of a randomly
that a randomly-selected hamburger weighs between 95 and 105
selected hamburger, what is 𝑃(95 < 𝑋 < 105)?
Assume that we selected 100 hamburgers and created a histogram
of the resulting weights. Perhaps, the histogram might look something
like this:
If we decreased
the length of the class intervals on the histogram, then, the histogram
would look something like this:
and if we pushed this further and decreased the intervals even more (and
selected even more hamburgers, say 1000 or 10,000), the intervals would
eventually get so small that we could represent the probability distribution
of X, not as a histogram, but as a curve (by connecting the "dots" at the
tops of the tiny rectangles) that, in this case, might look like this:
such a curve is
denoted as f(x) and is called a (continuous) probability density function.
Finding the probability that a continuous random variable 𝑋 falls in some
interval of values involves finding the area under the curve 𝑓(𝑥)
sandwiched by endpoints of the interval. In the case of this example, the
probability that a randomly-selected hamburger weighs between 95 grams
and 100 grams is then this area:
The probability density function 𝒇(𝑿) is a function that satisfies the
following properties:
a. 𝑓(𝑥) ≥ 0 for all 𝑥;
b. the area below the whole curve, 𝑓(𝑥), and above the 𝑥-axis is
always equal to 1; and
c. 𝑃(𝑎 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 𝑏) is the area bounded by the curve 𝑓(𝑥), the 𝑥-axis,
and the lines 𝑥 = 𝑎 and 𝑥 = 𝑏.
These properties are illustrated in the figure below. First of all,
cannot take on negative values. Second, if we remove the lines 𝑥 = 𝑎
the graph of the PDF is always above the x-axis because the function
and 𝑥 = 𝑏 ad measure the whole area below 𝑓(𝑥) and above the x-
bounded by the curve 𝑓(𝑥), the c-axis, and the lines 𝑥 = 𝑎 and 𝑥 = 𝑏,
axis, this area is always equal to 1. Lastly, the shaded area which is
represents the 𝑃(𝑎 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 𝑏). We can also see from this illustration the
reason why we stated earlier that for a continuous random variable 𝑋,
the 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) = 0 for any real number 𝑥. 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑥) is just the same as
𝑃(𝑎 ≤ 𝑋 ≤ 𝑎). In this case, we will let 𝑏 = 𝑎. Then, the area
representing 𝑃(𝑋 = 𝑎) will be 0 because we will only be left with a
single line.
probability density function to find the probability that 𝑋 lies in
The
some interval from a to b, by considering the area under the graph
of the probability density function over the interval a to b. That is:
b
F ( x )=P ( a ≤ X ≤ b )=∫ f ( x ) dx .
a
We will apply these properties in Lesson 2.5 when we learn about a
commonly used continuous probability distribution.
IV. EVALUATION
INDIVIDUAL TASK
Directions: Read the following statements carefully. Write ND if the statement
describes a characteristic of a normal distribution, and NND if it does not describe a
characteristic of a normal distribution.
1. The curve of the distribution is bell-shaped.
2. A normal distribution has a mean that is also equal to the standard deviation.
3. The normal curve can be described as asymptotic.
4. Two standard deviations away from the left and right of the mean is equal to
68.3%.
5. The area under the curve bounded by the x-axis is equal to 1.
Prepared by:
ERNESTO S. ABRANTES JR.
Student Teacher
Checked by:
JERIZZA MAE BULAHAN
Resource Teacher
